NPDC Unveils Stellar Line-up For This Summer’s TSB Festival Of Lights

More than 80 events and 11 light installations are set to light up summer when the TSB Festival of Lights 2023/2024 season kicks off on Saturday 16 December.

NPDC has today unveiled the entertainment line-up for the 37-night festival at New Plymouth’s award-winning Pukekura Park, which includes light installations from Aotearoa New Zealand, Peru, Thailand, and Australia.

Spectrum of Happiness (pictured above), a captivating light installation from Thailand is set to make its New Zealand debut at the festival. This interactive piece consists of seven swings that activate radiant rainbow balls, leaving visitors with an instant and contagious sense of joy.

The entertainment line-up showcases a range of dynamic music and activities for all ages and interests from local bands and singer-songwriters, top national and international acts, such as Allen Stone, taking to the stage.

“We work really hard to get a wide variety of performers and activities to cater to the interests of as many people as possible and this year is no exception,” says NPDC events lead and festival manager Lisa Ekdahl.

“There are not many events like this where you get to see world-class performers, spectacular light installations and take part in fun activities in such a stunning location, all for free.”

Musicians are set to grace the stage, offering a diverse array of tunes for every taste from the New Zealand premier retro rockers of Boom! Boom! Deluxe early in the mix on 22 December while on 13 January the alt-pop rock sounds of Rodney Fisher (best known in NZ as the singer from Goodshirt) is collaborating with producers The Response.

You’ll be dancing all night long with the soul-fuelled funk grooves of Black Comet on 14 January or the festival’s closing act Beacon Bloom on 20 January, with their electric touch of melodic house.

We’ve got plenty to keep kids busy on the Festival Kids’ calendar including burning off some energy with Bumper Bubble Balls (18 December and 2 January), yoga for kids at Little Yogis (27 December), and Roam Under Foam (20 Jan). Music lovers can enjoy some awesome music with the Tots to Teens Music Night (11 January) which features seven artists back-to-back, and Let’s Glow Crazy: Neon Rave (13 January).

New Year’s Eve is always a big night at the festival, and you can ring 2024 with the New Year’s Eve: Light Up the Night event with entertainment on the Hatchery and Fred Parker lawns, including a special line-up for children earlier in the event.

On from 16 December to 21 January 2024, the festival also includes several special events, an outdoor cinema, comedy shows and more.

See the full entertainment line-up and more information at festivaloflights.nz and follow the festival on Facebook and Instagram for latest updates.

Fast Facts:

• Up to 140,000 people visit the TSB Festival of Lights in New Plymouth’s Pukekura Park each summer.
• Entry to the festival and events are free
• The 2022/2023 festival season post analysis study by Business and Economic Research Ltd (BERL) showed it pumped more than $8m into the local economy with 28 per cent of total visits from out of region.
• Last year’s festival also had a 92% visitor satisfaction rating and 100% from event performers and entertainers.
• In 2022 the TSB Festival of Lights won two New Zealand Event Association Awards from their last season, including Best Government Event 2023 and New Zealand’s Favourite Event 2021 (as voted by the public).
• Up to 10,000 people attend the festival’s free New Year’s Eve event.

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