Free, family friendly summer fun is coming to McJorrow Park on Masterton’s Colombo Road and Cameron Crescent in February, thanks to a festival organised by the Eastside Community Group.
Claire Star, one of the event organisers, told Midweek “it’s been a team effort”, and the event will include live music, food stalls, games and several competitions to celebrate the community, with prizes to be won.
“We’ve got the Best Cake competition, judged by professional judges, a chalk art contest, the Biggest Bubble competition and people can nominate their Best Neighbour and Best ‘Good Sort’ in the community,” she said.
The day will be hosted by MC Sophronia Smith, with sound managed by local musician Keepa Smith, who will also play live.
A big drawcard for the day is a performance by “very cool” reggae band KRUZI ENT, which has over 13,000 followers on Facebook.
The event has received some funding from Masterton District Council [MDC] and Trusthouse, and over $600 was raised from a raffle organised by the Doing a Good Deed Facebook page, run by Masterton resident Elaine Leggott and friends.
Proceeds from the raffle will pay for the PA system, Star said.
Cultural performances by groups from the Indian, Samoan and Maori communities will be a feature of the day, as well as face painting and other entertainment for the kids.
Star has lived in east Masterton since 2020 and loves the sense of community in the neighbourhood.
“We are really community-minded here. We’ve got a really great community spirit. Everyone helps everyone, we all know our neighbours. Everyone knows everyone. It’s a really cool place.”
The free Eastside community festival takes place on February 24 at 10am-2pm at McJorrow Park. Contact Claire on 0220 805 031 for info.
