Lifeline for festival carnival

Autumn Festival 2018

Cambridge Autumn Festival’s iconic Main Street Carnival has secured funds so it can go ahead next month.

Organisers of the 10 day long festival feared they would have to cancel the carnival when they failed to attract a grant from the Waipā District Council administered Creative Communities scheme.

But Te Awa Lifecare Ltd, a long-time supporter of the festival, has stumped up with the cash so the Sunday carnival can go ahead on  March 26 in Cambridge’s central business district.

Thousands are expected to attend as the national secondary school rowing championships – also known as the Maadi Regatta – will be held at Lake Karāpiro from March 27.

Competitors will take part in a street parade and then be welcomed to the district at Victoria Square.

Alana MacKay

Festival chair Alana MacKay would not disclose how much Te Awa Lifecare contributed to what she described as “the biggest public day of the festival.”

The festival, which started in 2009, had regularly attracted funding from the creative scheme and so it was “a kick in the guts” when no money was forthcoming last year.

“Once we had that news, it was a tough time for all of us,” said MacKay who dealt with the disappointment at the same time she and husband Phil welcomed their first child, a daughter Mia Christina McCathie MacKay.

See: Mama Mia …

“In the past Te Awa have helped up out by letting us use some of their facilities so now they’ve added a cash component to it and it’s such a big help.”

The festival programme will be released in The News later this month and is expected to reveal the arrival of international artists – from the UK and Canada – jazz and blues musicians, painters, stilt walkers and the ever popular face painting.

There is also a new performance area near the Duke St roundabout.

The festival will run from March 24 to April 2.

Scenes from previous Autumn Festivals and Maadi Cup parades.

More Recent News

News in brief

Clock fails again Cambridge’s Town Clock is back up and running after a power outage over the weekend caused the weights to run to the end of their cables, stopping the clock from working. The…

Honey bees-ness tackled

Local body moves to protect residents from showers of bee poo are being given a tick of approval by Mountain View Honey’s beekeeper Lindy Bennett. Ōtorohanga District Council has included the guidance notes for beepers…

Call to stall all waste incineration

Don’t Burn Waipā spokesman Eoin Fitzpatrick wants a moratorium on waste to energy incineration pending a national analysis. Fitzpatrick made the appeal to the independent Board of Inquiry hearing Global Contracting Solutions application to build…

Ken’s celebration

A new artwork titled Ka pua, te Koowhai, designed in partnership with cancer patients, has been blessed in the radiation therapy unit of the Lomas Building at Waikato Hospital. The interactive kōwhai tree mural offers…