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Rug up warm and make the most of Auckland this winter!
Winter nights don’t have to be cold and boring, there are so many exciting events to enjoy in and around the city. Last Sunday we had a fantastic night out at one of the events of Elemental AKL, Auckland’s new winter festival. Stellar Festival of Lights featured various interactive art installations with eye-popping neon colours, bright lights, produced by leading New Zealand light artists Angus Muir Design.
Stellar Festival of Lights took place at Smales farm, a business co-working space, located on Auckland’s North Shore. With its modern architecture and hip, funky vibe, Smales Farm was a great new destination for night out.
We loved dancing to the funky beats with the headphones and grooving to neon party lights in the Silent Disco installation. The use of digital technology on some works was impressive; we were able to draw images using virtual reality, make stars through movement and even bring out our inner jedi at the Trilogy installation. The bright, vivid lights and techno sci-fi sounds around the park were incredible. Stellar will not fail your Instagram feed with its LED lights and geometric designs. We had great fun posing for images!
Inside Smales Farm’s hospitality area, Goodside, there are several bars and restaurants to satisfy your cravings, from a hearty burger to a more refined gourmet offering. After enjoying the sights and sounds, we grabbed a delicious cheeseburger from Shake Out. The burger buns were so soft, it felt like a cloud melting in my mouth. I asked for the secret burger recipe, which was made from a special blend of pumpkin and potato flour. To top it off, we got a cool dessert shake - a full strawberry cheesecake in a drink. Ain’t that sweet?
Stellar was an amazing festival, designed for people of all ages, with adults and kids alike participating in the various interactive artworks located around the park. We loved it!
Elemental AKL is a 31 day festival that took place throughout July 2019 and is set to return in 2020.
The full programme for 2019 can be seen here.
Jhe Valenzuela
Masters student in Disaster Management
International Student in Auckland, New Zealand
Interested in reading more about Elemental AKL and Stellar Festival? See Sonia Min's account here.