Festival season underway in Whangārei, come and check it out - Mayor Vince Cocurullo

Whangārei Fringe festival has a variety of events for all ages. Billy T award-winning comedian Kura Forrester will be performing.

THREE KEY FACTS

• Savour Northland is running from October 4-28.
• School holidays are on for two weeks from today.
• The Whangārei Maritime Festival is on the weekend of October 12-13.

Vince Cocurullo is the Mayor of Whangārei District.

OPINION

Spring has sprung, we’ve put our clocks forward for daylight savings, summer is just around the corner and festival season has well and truly kicked off in our District.

Whangārei’s popular Silver Festival has been running throughout September, with a series of “have a go” days for local sports, dance, art and craft and music groups, coffee mornings, tech workshops, discounted entry to local attractions and retirement village open days – there was a lot going on, and the festival has been another huge success.

You might have noticed the giant tent sitting in Putahi Park – this is “Cirque du Fringe”, where weird and wonderful things are happening as part of the Whangārei Fringe Festival (whangareifringe.co.nz). The Fringe Festival is our most eclectic festival, showcasing local and imported talent in unexpected ways.

Just in time for the school holidays, the festival runs from September 27 to October 13 and offers plenty of exciting attractions for kids and families, such as “The Icecream is Melting!” circus show performed by the excellent Dust Palace performers, a staged reading of the Spike Milligan classic Bad Jelly the Witch, Zaktakular’s House of Tricks classic circus show, The Mud Kitchen, Dragons in the Library, Nocturnal Oddities and so much more.

There’s also a free series of multisensory, interactive book reading sessions at the Central Library called Early Birds and Bookworms, which looks like it will be a big hit for our smallest residents.

Gables Restaurant in Russell has wine tasting and “Sip and Savour” events for Savour Northland month in October.

Of course, there’s a lot of “leave the kids at home” events too: cabaret, burlesque, comedy shows, music gigs, film, theatre, exhibitions, workshops, pop-ups and more. October is the month to push your limits, get out of your comfort zone and “live life on the Fringe”.

If (like me) you are motivated by delicious culinary delights, then the Savour Northland festival is what you’ve been waiting for. Savour Northland overlaps with Fringe, running from October 4-28, and offers the perfect excuse to rediscover favourite eating spots or try somewhere completely new.

This is set to be the biggest regional food and beverage festival in New Zealand, combining a competitive element with workshops, experiences, markets and unique behind-the-scenes tours. Local restaurants will be putting their best dishes forward to showcase local cuisine, while our world-famous vineyards, craft breweries and batch distilleries will bring out their best drops.

This is a chance to sink your teeth into the best of Northland. It’s all about appreciating what we have right here on our doorstep, so take a look at the lineup online at savournorthland.com and find an event to suit you.

The weekend of October 12-13 hosts the Whangārei Maritime Festival, which gives us a weekend of interactive demonstrations, ocean talks, music and a maritime market celebration at the Whangārei waterfront and Marina.

The Northland Business Excellence Awards will be celebrated on November 1, with the Lions Fireworks on November 2 at Semenoff Stadium, and then Whangārei will turn into an international motorsport track from November 7-10, while we host the International Rally of Whangārei.

We have had a hard couple of years, and now is a great time to celebrate in Northland, as we have so much to offer the rest of the country. I look forward to seeing you out and about!

Sign up to What’s On Whangārei to stay updated with what’s happening when: wdc.govt.nz/Newsletters.