Snails and kiwi are coming.
Participants in next month’s Dunedin Midwinter Carnival have begun their preparations to build a carnival atmosphere.
They were making cocoon lanterns at the Meridian Mall on Saturday.
It was the start of three weekends of lantern-making.
Such an exercise was mainly for creative youngsters.
However, a workshop for adults will be happening next weekend at Tūhura Otago Museum as part of its Wine and Design series.
All lanterns made at this year’s workshops earn their artists a free ticket to the carnival at First Church, on June 12 and 13.
The carnival has a theme this year of ‘‘A rustle in the night’’.
‘‘We hope to bring you into a wonderful world of creatures that live in the night and the undergrowth,’’ event manager Xanthe Naylor said.
‘‘We invite you to come and find the beauty of our precious native fauna that may seem like creepy crawlies at first, but are ... vital to our ecosystem.’’
Meridian Mall centre manager Stacey Johnston said hosting the workshops enhanced community connections.
‘‘These beautiful lanterns create a truly magical atmosphere ... offering shoppers a unique and immersive experience...’’
