Taranaki’s Festival of Lights a sensory and accessible wonderland

Every summer, a three-kilometre trail within the botanic gardens comes alive with lights, interactive art installations and live music right in the centre of Ngāmotu New Plymouth. I have spent most of my life in Taranaki, and as a musician and performer, this festival is always the highlight of my summer. Free gigs multiple nights a week in a magical forest of lights and sculptures and glow worms and shiny things?! Yes please!

One of the things that continues to make this festival so special to me, is its accessibility measures. I first started using the mobility scooters that are provided for the event when I was nine months pregnant with my second baby, 12 years ago. Four years ago, my disabilities became a lot more for me to manage, but thanks to the increasing accommodations, there are very few barriers in the way of me still being able to participate.

Every year I look forward to getting my hands on new tactile art installations. Hearing the woosh of running water flowing from the rainbow lit waterfall and the fountain that spouts water in geometric patterns as high as a house. The cool breeze that brushes my hands as a lover rows me across the lake, past the ducks and under the scarlet red bridge. The gasps of awe at the sensationally lit kinetic art from the people around me. The smells of the hot macadamia cart and the family picnics.

The festival has come a long way from its simple origins of string lights and a model pirate ship that I would visit as a young child in the 1990s, but so have I. I have grown in unexpected and creative ways, and the culture of arts in Taranaki has helped shape a lot of who I am today, as a community-oriented performer. The festival has continued to grow and develop with the needs of the community, with 150,000 people expected to visit. I now use the electric shuttles and the mobility scooters to get across the many acres of decorated forest garden every summer, to access new music events in a sensory environment that fits my neurodivergence, and to share sensory experiences with my people.

New Plymouth District Council works hard every year to ensure that this event is as accessible and inclusive as possible, which means entry is free and it’s free to access mobility devices.

A wheelchair accessible bus also runs continuously from city to park every night of the festival, excluding public holidays. A drop off zone will also be in place. There is a sensory map available on the website that shows where you’ll find audio, flashing lights, and interactive installations. The general map points out where the steep paths on the trail are, so you can plan your journey according to your needs. There are QR codes stationed at light art installations which direct your phone to audio descriptions of the works.

I love an event that is accessible and puts disabled voices to the front, so was very excited to learn that this summer aerial performer and wheelchair user Rodney Bell will be performing alongside dancer and choreographer Chloe Loftus in their performance The Air Between Us. Using a unique rigging and counterweight system, Rodney performs in his wheelchair with Chloe, celebrating equality and connection, harnessing their differences and strengths into mid-air dance. This multi award winning and critically acclaimed duo will perform from the 21st to the 23rd of December only, at 8pm and 10pm.

Information summary

• When: December 16, 2023 - January 21, 2024
• Venue: Pukekura Park, Ngāmotu New Plymouth
• Cost: Free (bookings required for some services)
• Accessibility information: Visit www.festivaloflights.nz

NPDC would like to thank Taranaki Disabilities Information Centre Trust and Govett Brewster Art Gallery for their support and guidance in forming accessible infrastructure and services.