Melanya Burrows
Senior Communications Advisor – Major Events
The 2017 Auckland Lantern Festival performers.
China’s answer to Pink Floyd, traditional Mongolian folk music, extreme tea pouring and artistic mastery with bubbles, toffee, knot-making and dough will all be part of the entertainment on offer at the 2017 Auckland Lantern Festival.
A host of international artists will join local performers at the Auckland Domain for the festival, which runs from Thursday, 9 – Sunday, 12 February.
Performing on the Asia New Zealand Foundation stage from Friday – Sunday will be Askar Grey Wolf, the Nair Ensemble and the Shanghai Shangwu Group.
Founded in China’s Xinjiang province at the heart of the old Silk Road, rock band Askar Grey Wolf fuses modern rock with a mix of Han Chinese and Xinjiang elements, using a variety of modern and traditional instruments to create a unique sound that has seen them likened to ‘Asia’s Pink Floyd’.
Nair means ‘feast’ or ‘celebration’ in the Mongolian language, and the Nair Ensemble perform traditional Mongolian folk music (with a modern twist) using Mongolian instruments, including the morin khuur – a horse head fiddle that produces a sound like the neighing of wild horses.
Shanghai Shangwu Group is a martial arts performance group that has travelled the world and performed at the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympic Games. They will perform a water pipe dance, a kung fu sleeve dance, and a bubble magic show for kids.
The group will also be joined by a freestyle tea pourer who pours tea from brass pots with one-metre long spouts, with a skill that evolved into a distinct martial art, gong fu cha (‘cha’ meaning tea).
The Asia New Zealand Foundation entertainment zone will also feature a trio of artists from Shanghai; a dough figurine sculptor Qiu Baoyou who creates figurines of legendary Chinese heroes; toffee artist Huang Hongmei who creates intricate two-dimensional paintings from caramelised sugar or toffee; and traditional decorative knot artist Zhou Lingling.
International and local artists will perform in a range of different entertainment areas, which are part of the evolution of the Auckland Lantern Festival this year, to ensure better crowd movement and a better experience for festival goers, which numbered more than 200,000 last year.
On the festival’s karaoke stage, an Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra quartet will perform from 6-7pm on Saturday, and local musicians and dance schools will perform throughout the festival.
There will be roaming musicians and stilt walkers, the dragon and lion dances which are perennial festival favourites, and martial arts demonstrations in a new, expanded martial arts area.
For the first time, festival-goers will be able to have a go at martial arts, with public workshops.
The Auckland Lantern Festival is delivered by Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED), on behalf of Auckland Council, in partnership with the Asia New Zealand Foundation.
ATEED Head of Major Events, Charmaine Ngarimu says, “this year we have introduced a number of different performances areas, including an area beside the specially floodlit duck pond.
“They will complement the lantern-viewing experience and also mean that whatever part of the festival you visit, you will be able to sample the entertainment as well as the beautiful hand-made lanterns”.
Asia New Zealand Foundation executive director Simon Draper says the Auckland Lantern Festival is a fantastic opportunity for Aucklanders to learn more about Chinese traditions and contemporary culture.
“Thanks to the support of our partners here and in China, Aucklanders have been able to enjoy a fantastic range of performance over the festival’s 18-year history, reflecting the diversity of China.
“This year sees us hosting a fabulous group of performers and artists. We’re sure the public will enjoy interacting with them in our very own Asia New Zealand Foundation entertainment zone, which will incorporate a non-stop stage programme and a craft marquee.”
ATEED and Asia New Zealand Foundation acknowledge the sponsors and supporters of the 2017 Auckland Lantern Festival: Principal Sponsor ASB, Chinese Ministry of Culture, Lotto New Zealand, Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office, Air New Zealand, Barfoot & Thompson, COSCO (New Zealand) Ltd, China Travel Service (N.Z), The Hits, Chinese Herald, Stuff, The Better Drinks Company, Emerald Foods, Resene, SKYCITY, Fotile, Quitline and Auckland Transport.
Notes to Editor
- Photos of the Nair Ensemble and Askar Grey Wolf attached.
- The 2017 Auckland Lantern Festival runs 7pm – 10.30pm on Thursday, 9 February, and 4 – 10.30pm on Friday, 10 to Sunday, 12 February.
- Thursday evening is the Lantern Appreciation Evening and opening ceremony, when the lanterns are lit for viewing but there are no performances or stalls operating, except for the Night Noodle Markets at Kari Street Commons.
- Kari Street Commons is a new public space in Auckland Domain. The Night Noodle Markets are free and open to all ages, and will be open 5pm to 10pm on Thursday, 4pm – 10pm on Friday and 1-10pm on Saturday and Sunday.
- Auckland Domain is also home to the Auckland Museum, which has a full weekend of Lantern Festival activities for the whole family to enjoy, including music, storytelling, and arts and crafts. The museum will be open late, until 9pm, on Saturday, 11 and Sunday, 12 February. Visitors can also discover the stories and photographs from the special exhibition, Being Chinese in Aotearoa: A photographic journey.
- Festival goers are strongly encouraged to plan their travel to the festival ahead of time, given extensive parking restrictions and road closures in place around the Auckland Domain for the festival. Extra trains will be running, and secure bike parking is available at the festival.