Public encouraged to ditch cars for Napier Street Carnival

Lower Emerson St will be closed to traffic for the carnival on Saturday. Photo / Warren Buckland

Hawke's Bay residents are being encouraged to ditch their cars as they descend on Napier CBD for an 'open streets' carnival.

The Napier Street Carnival, which will take place from 9am to 1pm on Saturday, January 18, will see Lower Emerson St closed to traffic for the special inner city celebration.

With retailers able to make use of the extra space, the public can enjoy live music, food, shopping and fun.

The Napier City Council event, in association with iWay, will be similar to the popular Ahuriri Street Festival, which ran successfully last month.

Community walking and cycling development officer Lyndal Johansson is encouraging the public to avoid driving to the festival.

"We encourage people to make the most of it, even get right into the spirit of things and walk or cycle into town," she said.

"Replacing the noise of traffic with the sound of people enjoying themselves in a vehicle free setting is not something anyone gets to be a part of very often.

Johansson added: "This is the first time we have held an event of this kind in the CBD, so while we don't quite know what to expect. We hope for great weather which will lead to a great turnout."

The event, which will run alongside the usual Napier Urban Farmers' Market at Clive Square, will provide plenty of entertainment for all ages, with children's activities including face painting, bikes, scooters, chalk drawing, The Bubble Man and dancing.

Napier City Council planning project facilitator Andy Long said holding events like Napier Street Carnival is a great way to increase a city's vibrancy, even if it is for just a short time.

Long added that showcasing inner city streets can give businesses an opportunity to increase sales on a busy day.

Open street festivals – an idea originating in Bogota, Colombia, in the 1970s – can only be found in Auckland and Christchurch on the shores of New Zealand.

Johansson added: "With the farmers market moving further up into Lower Emerson St, some great entertainment and activities and being a free event - it will be a lot of fun."

The carnival will go ahead rain or shine, unless it is deemed unsafe due to weather conditions.