Ready to roll for Light Up Bike Spectacle

Published on 24 April 2018

24 April 2018

Preparations for Whanganui’s first Light Up Bike Spectacle on Friday, 4 May are well underway, with community lantern-making workshops taking place in the centre of town.

The free public workshops, sponsored by Whanganui & Partners, are being held in the former Farmers homeware store at 131 Victoria Avenue between 9.00am and 3.00pm on Friday, 27 April and Saturday, 28 April.

Hosted by expert lantern-makers from the Manawatu-based Rangiwahia Environmental Arts Centre, the school holiday workshops will help participants make their own illuminated design in preparation for the Light Up Bike Spectacle. The lanterns are made using a range of sustainable and recycled materials such as willow cane and tissue offcuts. The workshops will also see the creation of larger community floats, to be pulled behind bicycles during the Light Up Bike Spectacle evening parade.

Organised by Whanganui District Council, with a funding contribution from the New Zealand Transport Agency, the Light Up Bike Spectacle is an all-ages, all-wheels event starting from 5.30pm on Friday, 4 May. A group of lit bicycles, scooters, buggies, skateboards, roller skates and more will parade from St Hill Street along the shared pathway next to the Whanganui River.

The event will start at the former Briscoes car park at 120 St Hill Street and end on Taupō Quay past the Cobham Bridge – a 2.5km route. From there the parade will turn around and return along the same path to make a total loop of 5km.

Arts Facilitator, Riah King-Wall, says the event route will also celebrate Te Tuaiwi, the new inner city cycleway along St Hill Street.

“The Light Up Bike Spectacle will be a family-friendly extravaganza in bicycle art, performance and DIY wheel decoration. We also want to encourage cycling as an everyday activity and provide an opportunity for the community to come together to enjoy cycling in a creative way.”

Participants can also expect some surprises along the parade route, with some entertainment – lit-up, of course – to add to the spectacle.

If the weather doesn’t co-operate, the event will be held at the same time and place on Saturday, 5 May.

For more information contact Riah King-Wall at riah.king-wall@whanganui.govt.nz  or 06 349 0001.