Year of the Snake: Lantern Festival illuminates Manukau City

Hundreds of handcrafted silk lanterns have lit up Manukau for the BNZ Lantern Festival since Thursday.

Tens of thousands are expected to visit the Manukau Sports Bowl over the weekend to celebrate the Year of the Snake.

The four-day event is presented by Tātaki Auckland Unlimited on behalf of the Auckland Council. Panmure-Ōtāhuhu MP Jenny Salesa attended the festival’s opening alongside her Labour Party colleagues.

“There's a whole weekend of great food, arts, crafts and entertainment ahead of us, celebrating the end of the Lunar New Year period.”

Event director Duane Wichman-Evan, who is of Cook Islands heritage, told RNZ that the four-metre-long snake lanterns were a hit.

"The two snakes look really good together. They are very friendly, and you'll see some of the elements on the snake are from China.

"Its tail actually represents the end of a mushroom.”

Wichman-Evans said the festival has become an iconic celebration of Auckland's multicultural identity.

"The crowd has mixed: one-third Asian, one-third European and one-third was actually from many cultures."

Spectators watching a performance at the opening ceremony on Thursday. Photo/Shanan Halbert

Chinese cuisine largely influenced the Sāmoan palate when indentured labourers arrived in Sāmoa in the early 1900s.

Ashalyna Noa, Pacific Academic Lead at the University of Canterbury, said about one-third of Sāmoans have Chinese heritage.

The weekend will include lion dancers, singers, dance performances, comedy acts, and martial arts exhibitions.

Auckland’s BNZ Lantern Festival is a free event, but ticket entry is required. It runs until 16 February.