Hopes for New Year’s Courtenay Place festival
Business owners in Wellington’s nightlife district want to throw a New Year’s street festival – all they need is the green light from the council.
Bar owner Jeremy Smith said he, alongside 34 other businesses, have pitched a outdoor event to be held on Courtenay Place and surrounding streets.
Food, drink and live entertainment would be on the cards, with the aim of drawing in families with a early start time, while allowing latenight revellers to have their fun after midnight when the event ended. His Courtenay Precinct group had been working with Wellington City Council for several months for approval to close the street, Smith said. They hope have it finalised this week.
The Courtenay Place precinct group is working to change the street’s image from one solely revolved around late night drinking and antisocial behaviour.
Recent projects, such as the Eat Street Festival, had been well received, and Smith said the revival project was going incredibly well so far.
“We knew that it wouldn’t immediately bring lots of revenue into the businesses, but it’s a process ... and we need to rebuild people’s confidence in the street.”
The New Year’s festival would result in the closure of the roads from Courtenay Place, to Cambridge Terrace, to Tory St.
It would run from 5pm to about midnight and “cover all the bases”, such as entertainment for families with children and an enjoyable event for people who wanted a meal.
Courtenay Place was last closed off for a Wellington Sevens street party 13 years ago.
The street festival was part of the revival group’s plan to show Courtenay Place isn’t just a late night venue.
Smith said the group was also working with the council on reopening the St James cafe, from about 10am to 10pm at night, and to make the place an exhibition space for the Fine Arts Academy.
“We’re busy on both fronts, and excited about the progress we making, and looking forward to to the next series of events as we come to summer.”
Inner-City Wellington Residents Association chairperson Stephen King believed residents would support the idea. “There’s very little happening at New Year’s in the capital so if we could have more things to invite our community to be part of that’s a positive thing,” he said.
The buskers festival had been well received by the more than 17,000 people living in Wellington’s inner suburbs, he said.
“We know if there are more events on offer, our residents will come join in on the fun since it’s right on their doorstep,” King said.