Christmas in Te Puke will follow Saturday’s float parade

There will be 50 stalls at Christmas in Te Puke on Saturday.

Saturday is set to be a magical, Christmassy day in Te Puke.

As soon as the Seeka Te Puke Christmas Float Parade finishes, it will be time to head to Jubilee Park for Christmas in Te Puke.

Stephanie Coulter of Love Local Events has put Christmas in Te Puke together.

“It’s absolutely free to the community, so there’s no barriers for anybody,” she says.

“There will be 50 stalls and food trucks, and Santa will make an appearance. We’ll have live music and loads of free activities - a petting zoo, donkey rides, face-painting, and lots of craft activities that families can do together.”

There will also be a collection of non-perishable food to go to the Te Puke foodbank.

The event was deliberately timed to run straight after the float parade.

“We thought we might as well make one big massive magical day in Te Puke, but it will be more than just a shopping experience - there will be things to do. It will be a free family event, with the added bonus of having a market there.”

The craft activities will include jewellery making and plaster painting and will offer attendees the chance to create Christmas gifts and decorations.

A little out of left field, haircuts will be offered for koha.

“It’s such an expensive time of year for parents, so we thought it was really important for people to just pay what they want,” says Stephanie.

The event starts at noon and runs until 3pm.

“We are providing opportunities for families to spend that quality time together without them having to instigate it themselves - they can just turn up, enjoy all the stuff that’s happening and leave when they are ready.”

Stephanie organises other events and has over 700 vendors to call on, but this is her first Christmas event.

“The feedback we’ve had so far, we’ve had so many people interested.”