International aerial artist Rhys Latton creeps on two sets
of stilts as a giant spider at the Midwinter Carnival, in
the Octagon, Dunedin, on Saturday night. Photo by Craig
Baxter.
"Amazing" times two, and "magical" was the public
reaction on Saturday night to the 2011 Dunedin Midwinter
Carnival.
With the Octagon jam-packed with people, the city centre was
transformed into a light show of flickering insects, birds,
bugs and night creatures too numerous to mention and too
fantastic to describe.
In Bath St, before the show began, the smell of melting
solder filled the night air as a long line-up of performers
made last-minute adjustments to costumes of wire and papier
mache.
Children held bright red ladybird and yellow bumblebee
lanterns, and insect "cocoons", with flickering lights
inside.
Alan Starrett, of Palmerston, stood in his ladybird costume,
playing his violin, while Georgia McCaul and Odette Sim (both
8) stood expectantly with their lanterns.
"Putting the papier mache on," and "holding them now" was the
most fun aspect of the project, they said.
Many of the performers had spent hours at community workshops
putting the lamps together.
Watching the parade in the Octagon was a matter of jostling
to find a spot, then peering over the shoulders of the many
others doing the same.
"It's amazing; it's amazing" one woman said, while another
described the spectacle as "magical".
The parade of bug-eyed, stilt-walking insect people, wetas,
worms, moths and butterflies with huge, bright blue wings
wound its way twice round the Octagon, before the night ended
with fireworks from the Civic Centre.
- david.loughrey@odt.co.nz
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