Christchurch Antarctic Festival 29 Sept-1 Oct
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Photo: Antartica NZ Pictorial Collection. |
Antarctica's isolation and breathtaking beauty has inspired many generations of explorers, scientists and artists to undertake amazing journeys. What many people don't know is that the vast majority of these expeditions began in Christchurch, a city known worldwide as a gateway to Antarctica.
To celebrate the amazing continent, the Council will soon launch the Christchurch Antarctic Festival 2006 which will run from Friday, 29 September until Sunday, 1 October.
Part of the event will see Christchurch play host to a raft of frosty characters for families called Antarctic Fantasy. There will also be lectures, films and events aimed at educating the public about the many wondrous aspects of the southern tip of the world.
Antarctic Fantasy (Friday, 29 September 12-2pm, Cathedral Square) will see roving ice characters interact with families. These will include an Ice King and Queen and other fantasy characters which will have a strong link to elements found at Antarctica such as ice, snow, cold and light.
One of the highlights of the day will be the arrival of the King and Queen of the Antarctic — this will be accompanied by a prosession of fantasy characters, carrying large banners with symbols of Antarctic on them. The symbols on the banners will represent different aspects of life at the Antarctic — the light shows, sunsets and rises and the cloud formations.
The King and Queen of the Antarctic, dressed in white, blue and silver with splashes of colour to represent sunsets, will then open the festival.
An ice sculptor will create amazing Antarctic sculptures from huge blocks of ice, and teams
of eights will also compete to pull the Hagglund — an Antarctic working vehicle — in the Hagglund Challenge. A fun viewing event.
The great explorer Robert Falcon Scott, will also be celebrated during the festival when the Antarctic Society members lay a wreath at Scott’s statue to celebrate his courageous and adventurous spirit.
Topics to be covered in lectures range from the history of the Sub-Antarctic Islands, through to tourism, whether it should be allowed into untouched areas. During the festival the public will also be able to view breathtaking films shot on the ice.
This summer season on Antarctica also celebrates the 50th anniversary of Scott Base — a magnificent period in the history of New Zealand's activity in Antarctica.
During the festival, help to celebrate our city's connections with the frozen southern continent and explore the history, science and culture that have been a part of Christchurch for over 100
years.
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