Youth festival to take over Hillcrest Park
Fancy finishing youth week with a battle of the bands? Head to Hillcrest Park on Sunday for an afternoon of fun.
Bands will be battling, three-legged races will be run, and free food devoured at the Hillcrest Park Youth Festival on Sunday.
The celebration has been organised by a group of 16 to 22-year-olds from the Hamilton Central Youth Leadership group and the Hillcrest Park Guardians, and will fall on the last day of youth week.
A youth dance crew will open the afternoon’s activities, which include a range of sports, like five-a-side soccer, hockey, egg and spoon races, and hula-hooping.
Young musicians and singer-songwriters will show off their skills in a battle of the bands, and free sausages, drinks and cupcakes, will be on offer.
Battle of the bands organiser, 18-year-old Kahu Coyle-Puke, was looking forward to the youth-driven event.
“We tried to keep a lot of it organised by youth, and youth people running it,” he said.
“I’d like to be a part of [the events], but I’ll be busy doing other things.”
Several bands and singer-songwriters had signed up to perform original songs for the battle of bands, and Coyle-Puke said listeners could expect music that was “a bit gypsy”.
He was still looking for more acts, and might accept groups who showed up on the day.
The young musicians will be competing for a share of a $480 prize pool of vouchers for Weirs MusicWorks.
Hillcrest Park Guardian Paula Law said there was a lot of musical talent in Hamilton, and the festival would be a great opportunity for potential stars to be heard.
She also praised the young festival organisers.
After securing funding from HYPE – Hamilton Youth Produced Events Fund, the group found sponsors and put the event together in little over a month.
Law said organising park and food permits, and safety plans in four weeks had been a learning experience.
“A lot of people don’t really understand what’s involved in running an event. They think ‘oh, we just need to get a stage and a PA’ but there’s an awful lot of stuff that you need to get.”
Community groups – including Girl Guide Rangers and the international students of Hillcrest High – have offered support, and Law hopes the festival will increase Hillcrest Park’s profile as a community event venue.
Past family fun days at the park have attracted between 300 and 500 people.
The Hillcrest Park Youth Festival will be on Sunday, from midday to 4pm.
