NEWS RELEASE
27/06/2007

Roll up, Roll Up to the Petone Winter Carnival!

See Petone Foreshore transformed into an extravagant circus on Saturday 7 July.

Hold your breath while New Zealand's leading aerial and circus acts, mesmerize the whole family with their daring aerial circus, contortion and jaw dropping acrobatics as part of the Petone Winter Carnival on Saturday 7 July.

A free family event, the Petone Winter Carnival, brings together some of New Zealand's premier outdoor circus acts all flying, juggling and unicycling around the Petone Foreshore!

If you or your child has always wanted to run away to join the circus, the FREE series of Circus Workshops is more than enough to give you a taste of life under the big top.

The Circus Workshops run from 3:00pm to 5:00pm next to the Petone Settlers Museum and feature a series of colourful, 'funtastic' interactive circus activities full of circus equipment including juggling balls, unicycles, hula hoops and even a flying trapeze.

Then from 6:00pm, stand-back and watch the awe-inspiring artists take to the eight metre high circus rig for a series of breathtaking performances designed to defy gravity.

Watch in amazement as the awesome aerial suspension artists Lady Suspend and Pascal Ackermann - Switzerland's king of aerial straps - take to the air utilising a spectacular mix of acrobatics, ropes, fire and heart-pounding music, that will leave you inspired, delighted and gasping in awe!

The circus workshops and performances are presented by Leisure Active, Hutt City Council in association with Awkward Productions (Perilous 07, Festival of the Elements 06, 07)

Inclement weather may cause the alteration or cancellation of scheduled acts. Listen to Newstalk ZB (1035AM) for details

Highlights of the Petone Winter Carnival include:

* Colourful and creative chalk art drawing;

* A chilly dip in the Wellington Harbour as part of the traditional polar plunge;

* Ice sculpting and face painting at the Petone Settlers Museum;

* Petone Storybox - a stunning large-scale video installation from Robert Appierdo (Dnation Creative) celebrating Petone's relationship to migration;

* And the spectacular Pelorus Trust Fireshow fireworks display fired off Petone Wharf at 7:30pm.

For further information on the Petone Winter Carnival visit www.huttcity.govt.nz/wintercarnival.

ENDS

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