Long Weekend Reading 3.2.18
A special Long Weekend edition of our Weekend Reading for you – essential food for thought
Waitangi Day! Lots of us are making it a long weekend.
There’s a day off work but there are also lots of festivals and public celebrations across the Head of the Fish – Lower Hutt, Wellington City, Porirua City, Masterton, Paraparaumu and more!
Bands, picnics, dancers, public art demos, skateboarding competitions, plant giveaways, multimedia, balloons, kapa haka, duck racing, kid races, musicians, debates, hot dog stands and spiral potatoes…
Loads of people having a good time, wandering around, enjoying the same things, separately but together.
In an age where we’ve forgotten how to be good neighbours, Waitangi Day festivals – like any free, public, celebratory gathering – are just great for us as people.
To ponder over your long weekend: a few cool perspectives on public gatherings and “bumping-into” spaces…
- The power of food trucks to make a “scary” space welcoming for all – Megan McIver
- If you were in charge of organising a great local celebration for the public in your neighbourhood, where would you have it? 60 great public spaces from around the world – does your ‘hood have something this good?
- Festivals and celebrations – and regular weekend markets – need public spaces like town squares. And people who want to eat their lunch somewhere! Project for Public Spaces on Launching a New Tradition of Great Public Squares
Whether or not Waitangi Day means much to you, head along to your local festival – because it’s people.
As the talented Pencilsword of Toby Morris puts it: get amongst 10,000 people you love.
Image credits:
- Waitangi Day crowd on grass – Stuff.co.nz
- Street performers at Pride Festival, Minneapolis – by Biodork
- Waitangi Day festivalgoers listening to performer – Stuff.co.nz
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