THE EDGE presents

Unwrapping Christmas in the BIG little City

7 – 21 December, Aotea Square, Auckland

Bandstand Under the Stars, Random Acts, Live at Lunch and Christmas Markets.

Kick start your holiday season with a heady mix of live music, dancing, Christmas markets and street theatre as THE EDGE and Heart of the City open Aotea Square to the excitement and anticipation that only December can bring.

Unwrapping Christmas in the BIG little City will put a spring in your step with a unique blend of free cultural and community experiences and entertainment over a two week period as we celebrate all that is vibrant and exciting about a Southern Hemisphere Christmas.

In its fourth year Random Acts returns to push the boundaries and expand the minds of our Big little City, while a new offer called Bandstand Under the Stars lets you dance the evening away under the stars. Mix that with Live at Lunch offering live music every lunch time, deck chairs, giant Connect Four and crafty markets to find all your Christmas treats and Aotea Square is your one stop shop for the perfect place to relax and ease yourself into the silly season.

“Unwrapping Christmas in the BIG little City brings all the joy and fun of summer to the heart of Auckland’s CBD” says Festival Producer Sally Barnett “Aotea Square will be humming with activities and we want everyone to feel part of it - this is Christmas Auckland style!”

Random Acts continues its tradition of taking theatre to the people with a fantastic line up of professional performers adding that extra touch of the unexpected to the Square. With Tango dancers, Pacific Barbie Dolls, Body painted dancers, physical theatre, storytelling and a Commedia dell’arte troupe you can pop down for half an hour or stay for the whole afternoon.

There’s something magical about dancing under the stars, something romantic in the moonlight and something joyous about live music, so on Friday and Saturday nights come down and dance into the night at Bandstand Under the Stars. With dance demonstrations a quick lesson and some live music you can groove on into the night and get a taste of Salsa, Swing, Ballroom, Bollywood and a traditional Celtic Ceilidh. The summer is here and the time is right for dancing!

Live at Lunch lets you get out of the office and warm into those lazy hazy summer days. Come down to the square, lax out in a deck chair and enjoy two hours of live music from 12 – 2pm, grab something tasty from the food stalls, play some table tennis or petanque in the sun. For all those shopping nightmares the answer waits at the Christmas markets and the bi–annual Art and Craft market. There’s nothing more beautiful than an outdoor market full of Christmas treats to get you in the mood for St Nick.

Unwrapping Christmas is full of the romance of long summer days and nights, the magical lead up to Christmas and the beauty of all that Auckland has to offer. Join the dancing, the music and the art on our enchanted evenings in the Square. The excitement of summer has arrived.

For more information please check http://www.the-edge.co.nz/unwrappingchristmas.aspx