Spring festival planned

Press, 12 August 1985, Page 34

Spring festival planned

Spring’s arrival in Christchurch will again be celebrated with a “Spring’s Here” festival beginning in Hagley Park on September 1.

The festival, which has been organised by the Christchurch City Council’s parks and recreation department, and the Arts Employment Scheme, will be held in the daffodil gardens of Hagley Park on five Sunday afternoons in September. Five different themes for the afternoons have been planned, including jazz, country, classical, rhythm and blues, and popular music.

So far eight local bands had confirmed that they would play, said the recreation officer, Ms Anne Hindson, yesterday. They in-

eluded a new Christchurch rhythm and blues band, led by Vince Lahey. Other groups and persons performing are lan Edwards, Pete Rainey, Connoisseurs, Thunderheads, the Christchurch Percussion Ensemble, Lizzie Cook, Phil Stevenson, and the duet, Janice Gray and Liz Braggins. “Spring’s Here” would also include performances by dance groups, said Ms Hindson. Activities for children, including the giant earthball and parachute games, would also be held to encourage families to attend the festival.

“We will be trying to let people know that spring is here, and that it is time to come outside,” said Ms Hindson. The festival will also

coincide with Daffodil Sunday on September 15, when the daffodils in the park are at their best.

It will be the third spring festival held in Christchurch, but this is the first year it will be spread over five weeks.

“Previously we have held the festival over five days,” said Ms Hindson. “This meant that if we struck bad weather that week, a lot of programmes had to be cancelled.”

Spreading the programmes meant there was a greater chance of striking good weather, she said.

If it rained on a festival day, that programme would be cancelled, and the next planned programme would be held the next week-end, said Ms Hindson.

The annual Spring and

Daffodil Flower Show, run by the Canterbury Horticultural Society, will coincide with the "Spring’s Here” festival. It will be held at the Horticultural Hall on September 23 and 24. Several hundreds of blooms were expected at the popular show, said the secretary of the society, Mr Tom Clarke. A special alpine display from Ashburton will be seen, as well as a display by the Canterbury Alpine Society. “Spring’s Here” would also act as a lead-in to the community festival planned at Riccarton in October, said Ms Hindson.

The community festival which is being organised by the Riccarton Borough Council’s community affairs committee, will run from October 1 to 5.