Ms Abraham said the reorganised opening day carnival activities in the Octagon were ''really great'' and offered ''a lot of fun for the kids''.
Hundreds of excited youngsters and their families swarmed through the opening event, held in the lower Octagon but without the previous fireworks display, which was not held for health and safety reasons.
The fireworks were replaced by a lively series of carnival booth games. Activities included tossing balls through hoops and tests of golf putting skill.
Events and Cadbury World manager at Mondelez International Kylie Ruwhiu-Karawana said the carnival-style event had been ''really successful'' and may have matched the popularity of last year's opening event, which attracted thousands of participants.
