Sheryl Mai: Christmas has come to town, lots happening in Whangārei this month

The laneway was crowded with families and the atmosphere was festive during The Hits Christmas Parade through central Whangārei on November 28. Photo / Michael Cunningham

FROM THE MAYOR'S DESK

I hope you managed to make it to the inaugural Whangārei Christmas Parade in the central city last weekend, I was there, and it was absolutely perfect!

Christmas in November is now officially a "thing". While I've traditionally been a December-only person when it comes to Christmas trees and twinkling lights, I think we can justify the need for the early celebration with the year we've had – and what better way to kick off the festive season than with a Christmas parade in the heart of our city.

While it was sad that the Kamo and Onerahi parades couldn't happen, I was honoured to be part of the proceedings for the first-ever central city parade.

The Lions and Rotary clubs of Whangārei came together to make this one of the most well-organised Christmas parades I have experienced, and I've heard the central city businesses had a very successful day as a result.

The weather was stunning, the laneway was crowded with families and the atmosphere was overwhelmingly festive.

Well done to all who participated in the event, and a particular thanks to all the sponsors, volunteers and organisers. The sense of community, the joy of children young and old (I'm definitely one of them), and the wonderful location all combined to make this a hugely successful event.

I was also lucky enough to be at the Hikurangi Christmas Parade this weekend. The village centre was buzzing with excitement, full of people enjoying the markets and festival floats.

We've needed to be flexible and creative with many of our public events this year, and the annual Christmas Festival is no exception. Because of all the uncertainty around Covid-19, the council will be hosting Christmas in the City 2020 instead of the normal Semenoff Stadium celebration.

The series of Christmas events will be focused around the waterfront and the central city area throughout this month, with something for all ages to enjoy.

Part of the reason behind Christmas in the City is to help our local retailers recover from Covid-19, encouraging everyone to spend local wherever possible.

To support this kaupapa, one of the featured promotions will be the "Twelve Days of Christmas", featuring 12 stores, 12 $100 prizes and a grand family fun prize. We're hoping our community will support local retailers as much as they can while having family fun in our central city this Christmas season.

We're also very excited to have our wonderful Northland Youth Theatre running Santa's Workshop at 25 Bank St. A true Christmas wonderland, Santa's Workshop will be bursting with craft activities and fun spaces for kids to explore.

I've heard whisperings that the big man in red might be there too, so it's sure to be a truly magical experience.

As for me, I'm already enjoying the Christmas trees in the mall and at the waterfront, the fun, summery atmosphere in town, and the glorious pōhutukawa trees blooming throughout our district.

Find out more about Christmas in the City 2020 on the council website, wdc.govt.nz/events or our customer services, or pick up a brochure from the Central Library, The Hub, or the iSITE.

• Sheryl Mai is mayor of Whangārei.