Rotorua will light up with arts, crafts, music and performance for Matariki and the annual Colour the Night festival.
Organised by The Arts Village, Colour the Night runs from 5pm to 8pm on July 12 and is an evening of free activities for locals, tourists and families.
The Colour the Night trail includes a pop-up theatre in Eruera St, dance performances at Lakes Performing Arts Company, music at the Monarch Room, fire dancers at the Night Market, storytelling and blackout poetry at Te Aka Mauri and a range of crafts activities at The Arts Village, Children's Art House and Te Runanga Tea Rooms.
Now in its third year, Colour the Night is a way to celebrate midwinter and have fun in some Rotorua spaces that might otherwise go unexplored.
Coinciding for the first year with Matariki (Māori New Year), some of the Colour the Night activities take on a special meaning as they incorporate the story of Pleiades - the cluster of stars that rises in mid-winter.
Mary-Beth Acres, manager of The Arts Village, said Colour the Night was a magical mid-winter treat and this year boasted its largest number of activities.
"We are thrilled to have so many enthusiastic partners on board this year, and we've got a great line-up of events.