The 2021 Auckland Lantern Festival has been postponed to 4-7 March 2021.
Auckland Unlimited, which delivers the Auckland Lantern Festival, has made the decision to postpone the event following consultation with key event stakeholders and community leaders.
Mayor Phil Goff says it’s fantastic that the Auckland Lantern Festival is able to go ahead.
“The Auckland Lantern Festival is a much-loved event and a great celebration of our Chinese communities; I’m really pleased we’ve been able to find a way to make it happen this year,” he says.
“Because it can only go ahead at Alert Level 1, we have delayed it by one week to allow more time for a return to that level.
“It’s a good reminder also that we all need to keep following the current COVID-19 health rules, to help ensure that we are able to move down to Level 1 sooner rather than later.
“Thank you to Auckland Unlimited and Ports of Auckland, as well as event and community stakeholders, for working together to enable the Lantern Festival to proceed.”
Auckland Unlimited Head of Major Events Richard Clarke says: “The feedback from key event and community stakeholders was clear – a postponement is preferred given the current situation.
“Delivering the festival a week later than originally planned gives Aucklanders the chance to still acknowledge and celebrate the significance of the event.
“This early decision also mitigates the financial risk of cancelling at late notice should Auckland not return to alert level one next week.”
Over the past 24 hours, Ports of Auckland has committed to making Captain Cook and Marsden Wharves available for the new dates.
The change in dates also means that the festival will add further vibrancy to the waterfront precinct on the first weekend of the 36th America’s Cup Match.
Auckland Lantern Festival is delivered by Auckland Unlimited, on behalf of Auckland Council, with founding partner Asia New Zealand Foundation.
Ticket information
The event will remain ticketed, with the free tickets booked online providing contact tracing as well as crowd and capacity management.
Ticket bookings are currently on hold for the festival.
Guidance to ticketholders will be communicated soon.
