Performers set to dazzle at Lights On Bikes parade

Published on 24 September 2019

 Chloe Loftus performing as The Arboreal Aerialist

Performers around Whanganui and beyond are preparing to entertain the community with illuminated performances during the upcoming Lights On Bikes parade.

Lights On Bikes Event Organiser, Shanti Sibbing, says six great local performance groups will light up the night and renowned dancer and choreographer Chloe Loftus will bring two performances – Out of the Blue and The Arboreal Aerialist –  to Whanganui for the event.

Chloe Loftus will visit Whanganui before the parade to train five Whanganui Girls’ College dancers to perform her Out of the Blue show, which features illuminated headpieces.

The dancers will resemble fish that ‘flock, dart and float through the crowd’ around Moutoa Quay and then move with the parade to Cornmarket Reserve.

Meanwhile Chloe Loftus will perform as The Arboreal Aerialist in a tree in the James McGregor Arboretum, next to Kowhai Park.

Chloe Loftus says this show “is a captivating piece designed to slow people down and make them look up and appreciate the trees.“

Shanti Sibbing says the Lights On Bikes parade is a wonderful way to celebrate the end of the school term and the start of warmer weather.

“Dust off those fairy lights and get your wheels and yourselves lit up for Friday evening’s Lights On Bikes parade,” Shanti Sibbing says.

Everyone is welcome to join in with the parade – gather at the Whanganui River Markets area on Taupō Quay on Friday, 27 September from 5.00pm, where there will be large floats and food trucks.

The parade will roll out at 6.30pm, travelling along the riverside to Cornmarket Reserve near the Dublin Street roundabout. Families will have the option of stopping there and/or turning around or continuing over the bridge towards the James McGregor Arboretum.

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