The Festival is always a musical treat and this year will be no exception. The Trust Board is financing three stages plus field performers.
The Festival is not funded by Auckland City Council this year but has been made possible with help from the ASB Trust, Lotteries, Sky City, Lion Foundation and Trillian Trust. The Festival is organised and brought to you by community groups working together, helping each other with fundraising and skills development and provides a unique and positive example of community action.
Reverend Mua and Junior Toko long term supporters of the event bring their dedication to the community and MC the Rangatahi Stage with their usual integrity and passion. This stage pays honour to the late Agnes Tuisamoa a well known philanthropist within the community who died on the Festival weekend 2004 and who is remembered for her work in the Grey Lynn neighbourhood as social worker and friend to many.
Performances from Richmond Road Primary School, O’Sullivans Irish Dancers, Equippers Dance Troupe, Cook Island Dancers, OBC, a Krump Challenge, Pasifika Poets, Grey Lynn Community Church 550 Youth, Black & White, Crucial Vibes, The Incident, Perfect Motion and finishing with a Festival Jam session.
Our Music Stages organised by Bud & Jane from Gahu will host great bands sharing their sounds throughout the whole day. Performances start at 9.30am and finish with Festival Jam at 5.30pm.
Manuka Stage features Tangent, Jews Brothers, Gahu, One Million Dollars, dDub, Batacuda Sound Machine.
Nikau Stage features Easy, Paul Barrett and The Kid Gloves, The Brysons, Unity Pacific, Hot Grits and Darcy Perry Blues Band.
Field Fiesta meets the public with AKSamba?, Ionosphere, Tamani, Mhara Marimbas, Tariro Mbira and Dancers, Capoeira de Angola and Carribeanz.
With the Music and Markets drawing in the crowds there is always something for everyone and this year is no exception. This year’s event will see a wider range of participants sharing their passions. For the children we’ve got a fabulous field of fun fair rides at $2, a gypsy village, badge making, bubble workshop, printing souvenir cards and a trapeze circus. For the bigger children we’ve got the whole process of making traditional Tapa cloth, John Aitken on the history of woodworking tools. View him in action on a handmade lathe. Meet up with those who prefer the mobile home life to the city pad in our Housetruckers village. Supporting their families with their mobile businesses you can see a blacksmith working or thrill to Matt’s Whip show. Give your kids a ride on Larry & Rosie’s funfair all built in NZ by them and their kids. A Machine Park will bring the lovers of steam engines a treat and a yarn. Look out for the Rooster Man.
Shopping in the market stalls is a full on experience at the most eclectic shopping experience in New Zealand. With over 300 stalls not only will you enjoy the experience, but if you don’t get all your Christmas shopping in early then you will regret it. The festival is eftpos free, so don’t go home disappointed make sure you are cashed up for the day.
Original clothing from a variety of established NZ designers will be on sale. Hand made sandles and shoes of lasting quality and comfort from Bo Jandles are a rare find. Gordon, a veteran of NZ & British nuclear testing at Christmas Island travels with his wife and grandchildren selling kids toys and fancies through the summer months and is a veteran stallholder at the Festival. Poppy the Clown and his wife bring fairy wonder and a bit of kids fun on their stall. Munch your way round the world with treats from our unique food stalls. Hans from Aloha Shave Ice helps organise the festival and sells his yummy for the tummy shave ice, always a favourite with young and old.
Many of the stallholders love the Grey Lynn Park Festival for the chance it gives them to bring their products and their passions to the public. With the capture of many city events by commercial interests and sole right sponsorships, the Festival provides grass roots support for individual entrepreneurs and artists that has been eroded from many other public events.
We call for the public to support our small organisation by helping out with the costs of putting on the event by buying a programme for $1 or $2 from our official collectors. Not leaving us too much rubbish to pay for in the cleaning up costs. Not causing us grief with alcohol fuelled behaviours. Watch out for your cars, with a 100,000 people expected you may want to catch public transport or carpool, bring the sunscreen and get ready for an awesome day.
Saturday 18 November 2006
9am – 6pm
Grey Lynn Park