Midwinter

To celebrate the longest night of the year (or at least the weekend closest to the longest night of the year) Dunedin hosts a Midwinter Carnival in the Octagon.  The event began in 1997 and draws about 10,000 people to the city centre.  


The Midwinter Carnival consists of a dozen or so food and craft stalls.  This event includes a spectacular Carnival Procession with dozens of giant lanterns, hundreds of hand-held lanterns, and many performers and stilt walkers.   Every year the carnival has a different theme and this year's theme was "A Frosty Night."  The evening finishes with a small firework display from atop the Forsyth-Barr building (one of Dunedin's taller buildings).


My night photography is not what it should be, but here are some pictures:

Frost Fairies

Snowman Lanterns

Ice Drummers and Stilt People 

Luminous Moth

Luminous Unicorn

Maori Dancer

Frost Fairy or Snow Joker

Lighting Effects

Giant heads to frighten children

Children not frightened by giant heads

Tree Lanterns

More tree lanterns

More Frost Fairies

Lantern Tree

In the months leading up to the carnival, workshops are held to build lanterns.  According to the website, "it takes roughly two hours to make a lantern and everyone who makes a lantern becomes part of the procession on Carnival night."  The cost of making a lantern is $5 and you must book well in advance.

Though it is almost July, I have missed Christmas lights with the cold weather.  This was a welcome event, but Santa was not at the end of the parade.