Soak up the sun at the Kawakawa Bay Christmas celebrations

It's not a real Christmas celebration without a beautiful bay, sunny weather and great music, which is why the annual Kawakawa Bay Christmas in the Park celebrations are always such a hit with the locals.

Organiser Judi Cranston took over the event four years ago and as an experienced performer with a successful children's music business, she knows all there is to know about entertaining the whole family.

Judi runs kindyRock, a Music Education Company which provides quality music educational resources for teachers, parents and other organisations around the world.

"The original decision to celebrate Christmas with a party was always in order to celebrate our unique community and our local talent and provide a family-oriented evening for everyone," says Judi. “I always aim to have a mix of items from children, well known celebrities and locals plus a balance of traditional and contemporary items. There are also opportunities for the crowd to sing along to some of the songs to capture the festive mood. Being a music educator, I know the power that music has to help us to feel good, so crowd participation in the evening is a must.”

This year, crowds will be entertained by children's entertainment star Suzy Cato, who is best known as the host of several New Zealand children's television programmes, most notably Suzy's World and You and Me. For several years she also hosted 3pm.

International soprano Gina Sander will also return to entertain the crowds as well as popular acts including the Kawakawa Bay Ukulele Group, Daveena Wilson and our amazing MC Willie Iosia. Local MP Andrew Bayley has also been invited to join the celebrations again and oversee the evening activities.

"We are very excited about the event and look forward to creating all those wonderful memories for our families and children," says Judi.

Local groups and organisations will again be supporting the event with food, refreshments and children’s activities.

Face painting, great music and entertainment from Orere School students and children from Kawakawa Bay Kindergarten are also set to add excitement to the event and the local cheerleader's squad is sure to entertain.

While this is a community event, it is not being funded by Auckland City so sponsorships and prizes are truly appreciated by the organisers. "The event has grown in size with people from all around the area, enjoying a beautiful early summer evening," says sponsorship organiser Joanne MacLean. "We are planning on an even larger audience this year, all of which comes at a cost."

Key supporters of the event include the Kawakawa Bay Community Association, Zealandia and Barfoot and Thompson Clevedon, "We will need as much support as we can get if we are going to pull it off again this year," says Joanne.

The annual event will take place on Sunday December 10 at the village green and begins at 6pm. A gold coin donation is welcome to help cover the evenings costs.