Children’s Day on Sunday 2 March 2025 is approaching fast, but Stratford District Youth Council (SDYC) has the festivities covered. From 1pm - 4pm on the day, there’ll be free swimming and ice-creams on offer to kids at Wai o Rua – Stratford Aquatic Centre. A week later on Sunday 9 March, SDYC is holding their Colour in the Park walk/run event, and for the first time all entries will be free in celebration of Children’s Day.

Youth Councillor Saphire Brady says, “Holding these events for free gives more of our district’s kids the chance to splash about with friends, run around with whānau, be loud, get messy, have fun, and eat ice-cream. We can’t think of a better way to celebrate Children’s Day. A big thank you to the Taranaki Electricity Trust for helping us bring these events to life.”

At Wai o Rua’s free swim session from 1pm – 4pm on Sunday 2 March, 100 free pool entries and ice-creams will go to the first 100 kids aged 16 years old and under who arrive at the aquatic centre. Kids are encouraged to come early in the session to avoid missing out.

“Don’t forget, pool supervision rules will still apply and it’s worth checking these out at WaiORua.govt.nz when you’re planning your kids’ free visit. We’d love to see lots of family members in the pool, enjoying a good splash around with their tamariki too,” says Saphire.

Expect a riot of colour from 1pm – 3pm on Sunday 9 March as Colour in the Park returns to Stratford’s King Edward Park. Suitable for tamariki and rangatahi aged 5 years and over, as well as young-at-heart grown-ups, the SDYC event will see colourful powder shower down on participants as they move through the course.

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Registration for Colour in the Park is free for the first time in the event’s history. In another first, there’ll be a shorter wheelchair and mobility scooter accessible route so more people can take part. Interested runners, walkers, and rollers should register before 11pm Thursday 6 March at Eventbrite.co.nz

Saphire says, “If you can imagine a rainbow exploding all over a fun run, you’ll have a good idea of what to expect. Wear white or black for the colour to really stand out. Extra credit for costumes!”

“You’ll be able to fuel up at our free sausage sizzle, thanks to our friends at Zeal Taranaki, and if you need even more colour, there’ll be free facepainting too.”

For event updates, follow Stratford District Council or SDYC on Facebook. More information about both events is available at Stratford.govt.nz/ChildrensDay

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