Queenstown came alive last night as floods of people descended on the CBD, for the opening of Lumify which showcased a series of impressive light installations and performances.
Bars and restaurants were brimming with people, rugged up against the cold, out for dinner and a show.
"It’s beautiful," she said.
When asked if she planned to explore all of the the lit-up areas, she said, "I can’t because I might be too late for bedtime", but dad said she could stay up "a little bit" later than usual.
Lumify replaces the annual Luma Light Festival this year, usually held in the Queenstown Gardens, drawing crowds of about 60,000-plus.
Instead, Luma organisers rallied Queenstown’s council and business owners to help put on this year’s smaller, more urban event.
"Really it was all about trying to do something and just sort of show what downtown can look ... and bringing people back into town," Luma charitable trust chairman Duncan Forsyth said.
The light installations which spanned across Cow Lane, Searle Lane, Church Lane, the waterfront and several other CBD nooks, showcased the work of about 35 different artists, from around the country.
Each lane had a distinctly different feel — Church Lane was a family friendly, enchanted forest, Searle Lane was a futuristic, Tokyo-style activation with light projections, and Cow Lane was grungy and slightly more risque.
Mr Forsyth hoped the event would encourage the community to appreciate the town they lived in and encourage some serious investment into the arts.
He said there was a more permanent place for these types of artworks — outside Luma weekend — if the local community, business community, funders and council were willing to come to the table.
"The laneways are fabrics of the town ... when all of beautification is done, do you really want to leave the things [as they are], Or do you want to have an active and vibrant town?," Mr Forsyth said.
Lumify runs all weekend until Monday, 10pm.
