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New Zealand’s largest cultural festival starts in Auckland today and Auckland Transport (AT) says it has got easy ways for people to get there.
The BNZ Auckland Lantern Festival is taking place at Manukau Sports Bowl from Thursday, February 26, to Sunday, March 1, daily from 4pm to 10.30pm.
The free family-friendly festival is the culmination of the traditional fortnight of Lunar New Year celebrations.
The festival date changes every year according to the lunar calendar, and a new Chinese zodiac animal is celebrated.
Public transport operations group manager Rachel Cara says AT is proud to mark the Year of the Horse.
“The horse symbolises vitality, speed, independence and an unrestrained spirit in a year of movement, pursuit and breakthrough, quite apt with the eagerly anticipated start of City Rail Link later this year.
“We want to remind people that as usual for major events, travel on buses and trains is free from 2pm until the end of daily services when showing your event ticket.
“We will also have special event buses running from Manukau Station and Manukau Westfield to transport people to the festival quickly and conveniently,” Cara says.
“We’ve also got one of our buses wrapped in a Chinese New Year theme, so keep an eye out for that on route 70, from Botany to Waitematā [Britomart].”
More than 110,000 people are expected over the four-day event, with something for everyone, AT says, including: More than 500 dazzling handmade lanterns on display; traditional and contemporary performances; over 50 street stalls on-site selling delicious food from many cultures; family-friendly amusement rides; a Shoot for the Stars basketball court featuring skills sessions; and a spectacular fireworks display at the end of the festival on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.
Buses will depart from outside the Manukau Train Station, Stop A on Davies Avenue, travel to Manukau Westfield Shopping Centre, and continue to Manukau Sports Bowl outside Gate B.
They will then return to Manukau Train Station Stop A and repeat the same route. Go online to AT.govt.nz/events to find out more.
AT says on the weekend of the event, there will be a partial closure on the Eastern Line, with trains not running between Waitematā and Ōtāhuhu.
Trains will continue to run between Ōtāhuhu and Manukau, though, so if people are travelling from Waitematā, hop on a Southern Line train and change to the Eastern line at Ōtāhuhu.
Buses will also replace trains between Waitemata and Ōtāhuhu on the Eastern Line. AT suggests using the AT Journey Planner or the AT Mobile app to plan journeys.
