Families flock to weekend festivities on waterfront

Jamie-Lee Hayson, 6, and her puppy Georgi

Tauranga's Waterfront was packed this year with families as they celebrated the Waterfront Festival on Saturday.

Following the success of last year's opening event, which attracted more than 5000 people, the Tauranga City Council and Downtown Tauranga came together to create the next Waterfront Festival.

Council city partnership programme manager Meagan Holmes said the Waterfront Festival was most of all about local pride.

"Pride in our place and our people,"she said.

"The waterfront will continue to shape up as an outstanding destination over the next 10 years."

Hundreds of people turned up on Saturday despite showers and blustery conditions.

The day's entertainment included X Factor contestant Jessie Matthews, U4RIA, Aaron Saxon, Carlee and Tilly, the Wild Clovers (Celtic rock), Megan Sidwell, Dee DeLuca, UkeJam NZ and various buskers.

Families enjoyed puppet and theatre shows, acrobats, stilt walkers and fire performers, Hairy Maclary activities, face painters and an action zone.

Markets were also held so people could buy local goods and fresh produce.

Tauranga MP Simon Bridges presented a cheque for $150,000 to Creative Tauranga's Tracey Rudduck-Gudsell, who said the money would go towards the Hairy Maclary waterfront sculptures.

Mr Bridges read some Hairy Maclary stories to children at the festival.

The event ended with a fireworks display.