Walk of Wonders: Black Barn show features light-up art, live acts and pyrotechnics

Walk of Wonders' wandering fairy holds a captive audience on Thursday night. Photo / Paul Taylor

Thousands of night-goers will wander into another realm at Black Barn’s nocturnal show this month.

Walk of Wonders is a storytelling experience told through illuminated artworks, live performances and even some pyrotechnics.

The public were given a small taste of what was to come with a target="_blank">light-up mushroom installation along Marine Parade last week, but Walk of Wonders promises more fun than just fungi, as demonstrated by the opening night on Thursday.

Sarah Everett, a spokeswoman for Walk of Wonders, said 12 new large-scale light installations were created for the event this year.

“These range from 3D-mapped and projected animations to hologram displays, pyrotechnic contraptions and much more,” Everett said.

“The thing that really sets us apart from other light festivals is the sense of curation where all of these art pieces have been imagined and designed as part of our storyline.”

She said the narrative this year was a continuation of previous iterations, with some recurring characters alongside new ones for visitors to enjoy.

Persia Farahani (left), Darius Farahani, Kroush Farahani and Cyrus Roberts at Walk of Wonders on Thursday night. Photo / Paul Taylor

“There are themes of travel through time and space dimensions, occult and mystery, mythology,” she said.

“The general message is to snap out of the mundane and get people off their screens and back into the beautiful world around them.”

Walk of Wonders creative director Anthony van Dorsten previously told Hawke’s Bay Today the event’s goal was to inspire people, as well as to “give artists a platform to build big things that break people out of the mundane”.

Walk of Wonders: The Return Journey runs for two weeks from Thursday to Sunday, September 14 to 17 and September 21 to 24.

A live show night on Saturday, September 23, will be headlined by Wellington trio Kita, with performances by Phoenix de Vere, Zuke, Cleo, Sneeky, Leyton Broom, Mangla Tribal Fusion, Solem Fero, SS61 and Margot Pierard and Friends.

Wooden Ink, an act with marionettes, and Flame Entertainment, the wandering fairy, will perform every night of the Walk of Wonders.

Tickets are available online, $50.45 per adult, $29.95 per child or $135.75 for a family pass, while children under 3 have free entry.

Costs for the live show night are $70.95 per adult, $35.08 per child and $187 for a family pass.