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The Papakura Christmas Festival and Santa Parade is back at Pulman Park tomorrow.
Hosted by the Rotary Club of Papakura, the event includes about 20 food vendors, 40 market stalls, and more than 30 floats in the parade.
Rotary Club of Papakura president Kathryn Harvey said the event moved to Pulman Park in Takanini due to cost concerns.
“We moved it to Pulman Park last year because we were finding that the cost of traffic management to have the parade in Papakura was exorbitant, it was huge, and it just kept getting bigger.
“It was a cost we couldn’t actually control, which was one of the reasons. We also had some pushback from the local businesses, who didn’t particularly like the roads closed, so we consulted with the local board and moved to Pulman Park.”
The move to the park seems to have had a positive effect, as attendance at last year’s festival was higher than expected.
“The turnout last year was well in excess of what I’ve seen at previous Christmas parades. That was effectively a trial run at Pulman Park, and this year looks to be even bigger,” said Harvey.
Like other Rotary clubs across New Zealand, the branch uses public events, like the parade and festival, to help fund projects across the wider Papakura area.
These include 10 First Year University Scholarships to students at local Papakura high schools and to help over 650 students through the RYDA Rotary Youth Driver Awareness Programme with five Auckland secondary schools. The club also works with the KuraConnect (a charity that helps connect the Papakura community, youths, and organisations) by providing barbecues at multisport sessions.
- The festival and parade will be held on Sunday, November 23 from 11am until 4pm, with the parade starting at 2pm at Bruce Pulman Park, 90 Walters Road, Takanini.
