Trust Horizon Light Up Whakatāne a glowing success
Whakatāne's annual celebration of light, art and community spirit draws 8,000 visitors across eight magical nights.
Story by Haylee King. Photos by Claire House Photography.
The glow has faded, but the memories remain.
Trust Horizon Light Up Whakatāne 2025 has wrapped up what organisers are calling the most successful festival to date, with an estimated 8,000 people experiencing the magic that transformed Whakatāne into a wonderland of light throughout the school holidays.
From 5-12 July, the winter transformation captivated families, artists, and visitors from across the Bay of Plenty and beyond, with many travelling from Rotorua, Tauranga, and as far as Auckland to witness the spectacle.
At the heart of this year's success was the landmark installation Ātea - The Realm of Light, created through the extraordinary collaboration between celebrated artist Tāme Iti, Te Mira Collective, and internationally acclaimed Angus Muir Design Studio.
The installation alone welcomed over 1,000 visitors in a single night, drawing people into the very moment light was born into the world through ancient Māori creation stories and brought to life with cutting-edge technology.
The festival's true magic lay not just in its installations, but in how it embodied the spirit of community collaboration.
From the nightly Festival Hub at Wharaurangi to the grassroots activations that emerged from every corner of the town centre, Light Up Whakatāne 2025 proved itself to be truly a festival for the community, by the community.
"This event truly showcases what we can achieve when we work together," says Kim Fort, Event Director, reflecting on the week's success.
"The collaboration between council, community groups, local businesses, artists and volunteers has been incredible. The organising team are absolutely thrilled with this year's outcomes and the strength of these partnerships. We're already looking forward to what 2026 will bring."
The festival's enhanced programming delivered something special each night.
The Festival Hub became a vibrant gathering place where dance groups and musicians - including many performances from Whakatāne's ethnic communities - took the stage.
Meanwhile, community-led activations flourished - the Miniature Railway Glows in the Dark transported families into enchantment, Te Kōputu by Night transformed the library into an after-dark adventure and illuminated waka floating down the Whakatāne River created moments of pure wonder.
Bike and lantern glow-up workshops empowered locals to become part of the light display, while the Lazer Photos photography competition and colouring competitions engaged creative minds of all ages.
Local businesses joined the celebration through the EPIC Storefront Lighting Competition, transforming shopfronts into glowing art displays that turned evening strolls into treasure hunts of discovery.
"What really stood out this year was the incredible surge in community-created artworks along the trail," says Sam Poots, Light Art Trail Manager from Poots Creative.
"We had an amazing mix of established local artists stepping up with fresh installations alongside completely new voices who'd never been part of the festival before. The energy was infectious - you could feel the pride when people brought their friends and whānau to see the pieces they'd helped create.”
"Trust Horizon was once again thrilled to support this year's Light Up Whakatāne festival," says Trust Horizon board Chair, David Glover.
"Just as it has every year, 2025's event brought thousands flocking into the CBD, many of them from out of town. Our thanks go to the many organisations who planned and executed the festival, the artists behind the creative installations, and the businesses who took part by lighting up their own windows. Free events like this are such an important way to bring the community together to celebrate the creativity and culture of our town, and we look forward to seeing the CBD up in lights yet again next winter."
For the artists behind Ātea, the festival represented something profou
nd about the power of storytelling through light and technology.
"It was a privilege to be part of Light Up Whakatāne, a vibrant event that already holds a strong place in the community," says Wairere Iti from the Ātea events team.
"Our installation Ātea - The Realm of Light was experienced by over 5,000 people across the week, from local whānau to visitors from Rotorua, Tauranga and even as far as Auckland. We were also proud to share the space with light-festival veteran Tamzin Blair, whose much-loved work complemented Tame's sculptures and breathed new life into a beloved landmark building in an interactive way.
"For us, this was about supporting something already thriving, introducing Ātea and reinforcing the global potential of our stories and the international quality of work that continues to emerge from the Eastern Bay."
The festival's success rippled through the community in unexpected ways with local businesses and organisations experiencing increased engagement throughout the week.
Trust Horizon Light Up Whakatāne 2025 proved that some experiences grow richer with each encounter. Whether visitors came for a single evening or returned throughout the week, the festival offered new discoveries around every corner - from quiet, meditative spaces to high-energy hubs of music, movement and light.
The success of the condensed eight-night format, combined with the robust programming and community activations, has set a new standard for what winter in Whakatāne can offer.
As the installations are packed away and the regular streetlights return, the festival has left something more lasting - proof that when community creativity meets winter nights, magic is inevitable.
