The colourful temporary pavilion lights up the city centre this festive season. Video / Supplied
Affectionately called “the pav” and variously described as a festive chess board, Santa’s kaleidoscope and a rainbow Parthenon, the Christmas pavilion now in place at the lower end of Queen St – in Te Komititanga square - is turning heads and captivating hearts.
Sitting next to the historic Chief PostOffice building which has seen 110 festive seasons, and at the centre of the whāriki (welcome mat) made from patterned paving stones by mana whenua artist Tessa Harris (Ngāi Tai Ki Tāmaki), this colourful temporary pavilion transcends generations and beckons all Aucklanders back to the city centre this festive season.
Co-created by award-winning designers Angus Muir, Matt Liggins and Auckland Council city centre place activation principal Barbara Holloway, the pavilion is also a temporary stage for Christmas in Te Komititanga. Music and free performances fill the square at lunchtime and twilight, counting down to Christmas like a super-sized advent calendar.
Image 1 of 7: 'The Pavilion' (or 'The Pav'), a new Christmas installation in Te Komititanga Square, featuring music and performances at lunchtimes and twilight. Co created by designers Angus Muir and Matt Liggins, and Barbara Holloway from Auckland Council. 1st December 2022, New Zealand Herald photograph by Sylvie Whinray
Bring the kids and see their eyes fill with wonder as roving stilt walkers defy gravity, jugglers send objects into the air, Christmas elves arrive early from the North Pole, and tinsel-covered friendly monsters surprise and delight.
Pavilion co-creator Barbara Holloway says: “We are lucky to have such talented artists working with us to create this pavilion. Colourful, evocative public art installations like this are important for our city’s renewed vibrancy and the feeling of celebration. Art never fails to lift hearts no matter how challenging the years have been.”
Inspired by Kiwi kids across the country, Saturday, December 10, will see families experience a giant Lego build, community performances and food trucks, marking the southern bookend of this epic city centre festive programme. Auckland Council and Heart of the City, along with their city centre partners, are proud to bring the magic of Christmas to the city centre, right up until Christmas Eve.
