The first winter market was held in Wanaka last night, as part of the new Light Up Wanaka festivities.
Light Up Wanaka is the brainchild of a group of Wanaka business people who want to celebrate winter with events, lighting and live music.
The Wanaka Farmers Market, held on Thursdays, has moved from its usual winter venue in Spencer House to lower Ardmore St to be a part of the winter markets.
Light Up Wanaka volunteer Francesca Voza said there were about 18 stalls at last night's inaugural winter market, selling food, mulled wine and crafts.
There was also live music. Eighty strings of ''fairy lights'' had been sold to Wanaka businesses to decorate the town on winter evenings.
They would be turned on tomorrow.
The group had also been given a Queenstown Lakes District Council grant which would be spent on lights for the trees in lower Helwick St and on the lakefront, Ms Voza said, and it had other events planned.
''We have a long-term goal to light up the whole town ... a twinkling winter town.''
Wanaka Farmers Market chairman Lorne Knight said the weekly event would remain at the new Ardmore St location until it moved, as usual, to Pembroke Park in October.
The later start time meant a wider range of stallholders could attend the farmers market.
''Light Up Wanaka is trying to create a really warm winter market, not dissimilar to what you might find in places like Germany - warm food, mulled wine, music ... make the whole of Wanaka a little bit more wintry.''
It was likely the farmers market would again be held in conjunction with the Sunday crafts market from early December, Mr Knight said.
- Jessica Maddock
To market
What: Wanaka Winter Market (incorporating the Wanaka Farmers Market)
Where: lower Ardmore St (in front of Speight's Ale House)
When: Thursdays, 4.30pm-7.30pm
