The festive season lights up Wairarapa this weekend with Christmas parades set down for Featherston, Greytown and Martinborough and a party in the park planned for Masterton.
The Classic Hits Featherston Christmas Parade launches the weekend of celebration at noon on Saturday and up to 40 floats are expected to take the parade path down Fitzherbert St, says parade marshall Colin Olds.
"It's generally been a popular parade over the years and we're expecting a number of new float owners this time around as well," Mr Olds said.
The local Lions club would also be holding a sausage sizzle and refreshment stand, and other food stalls also will be operating.
Floats will muster at the top of Revans St outside the Johnson Bros yard and the floats will be judged and prizes awarded in an area near the Fell Locomotive Museum on the corner of State Highway 2 and Lyon St.
Solitaire Robinson, South Wairarapa District councillor, said prizes would be presented to the best business, group, adult and child floats.
The Equippers Church Christmas Party in the Park also will be kicking off in Masterton at 1pm on Saturday and will run until 7pm.
Pastor Will Levy said the party is "our annual gift to the community".
The free party will be held on the oval at Queen Elizabeth Park and will feature carol singing, entertainment, prizes, bouncy castles, activities, face-painting, candy floss, and a barbecue dinner.
Beth Taylor, president of Rotary Club of South Wairarapa, said the Greytown Christmas parade starts at 2pm on Saturday with floats mustering outside the Greytown Rugby Club in East Street at 1.15pm.
The parade, which is sponsored by Rotarians, MoreFM and the Greytown Workingmen's Club, is to take a path onto Main St and will travel travel north before turning off at the club, where the floats will be judged and prizes handed out.
Mrs Taylor said the Masterton District Brass Band and the Wairarapa Fern & Thistle Pipe Band also will march in the parade, as will the Woops-A-Daisies Leisure Marching.
Kay Mills, co-organiser of the Martinborough Christmas Parade, said more than 30 floats are expected for this weekend's event, which is the fifth year for the parade.
Floats are to muster at about 5pm at the Martinborough Transport yards in Jellicoe St and will parade about the town square before travelling a circuit away and back to the square.
Mrs Mills said there would be carol singing after the parade but there will be no prizes handed out for floats.
"We don't have prizes because they all do a good job and with the carol singing afterward it should be a great time for us all," Mrs Mills said.
Carols at Cobblestones also will be held in Greytown again this year with a picnic tea and barbecue starting on the museum grounds at 5pm on Saturday.