Teddy Bears Picnic - Brings fun, Excitement and Celebrity Teddy Bears to Hagley Park this Sunday!

4 February 2004

This Sunday February 8th will be a big day out for the whole family, and teddy of course, as Christchurch brings together bears from all over town - and the country - for one of the biggest Teddy Bear Picnic’s in the world.

VIP guest celebrity teddy bears include visiting Mayor’s Bears from three cities.  ‘Robbie B’ from Dunedin and ‘Wellington Bear’, from Wellington city have flown into Christchurch to accompany Mayor Garry Moore’s official teddy bear ‘Austin’.  They will be joined by ‘DUDley’ - Air New Zealand’s teddy  bear, ‘Alex Awapuni Leading Seabear’ from the Royal New Zealand Navy, and ‘Scotty’, the official  penguin mascot of Scott Base.

The celebrity teddy bears, plus special guest penguin, will be on display and available throughout the day for children to meet, greet and cuddle.

Part of the SummerTimes™ festival, this event is more than a picnic, it’s a family festival with rides, puppet shows, pavement art, displays, Elgregoe’s magic shows, food stalls, live bands and other fantastic entertainment.

Local a’cappella group Ahi-Kaa will perform beautiful harmonies onstage, including hip-hop and R ‘n’ B numbers.  Shaun Taiaki, David Butterfield and Te Rau Winterburn have been together for about 2 years and recently performed as part of Coca Cola Christmas in The Park.

Fairground rides at the Teddy Bears Picnic include a ferris wheel, a Noddy train, bouncy castle, mini-slide and mini jeeps. The Model Boat Club joins the Paddle Boats on Victoria Lake, and city children will enjoy meeting and patting animals such as rabbits, Shetland Ponies and Llamas.

The Royal New Zealand Navy, and The Police will host displays, and a fire truck and giant diggers will fascinate the littlies.

Suited characters and face painters will be on hand to cuddle and entertain and the Dolls Hospital will do their best to rescue and repair much loved toys.

Canterbury Foundation Brass Band will perform old favourites on stage, where later in the day, children’s music sensation The Wobbles perform.

The Wobbles have been described as “the world’s coolest band, playing the coolest songs with the coolest dance moves”. And you can learn those moves and accompany the Wobbles in an all-star finale.

The Canterbury Rams will be bringing their teddy bears this year, and children have the chance to play ball with these fine sports people. The mobile library also has a spot reserved where families can return or take books on the day.

Picnics are welcome and of course teddy bears, the more the merrier!

Car parking is available for $3 in Hagley Park (off Harper Ave); gates open at 11am and close at 5pm. If it is wet, the Teddy Bears Picnic will be held in Pioneer Leisure Centre, Lyttelton Street. Please listen to 92 MoreFm for details.

Pick up a brochure for more information or visit our website on www.summertimes.org.nz

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