How did it start? 

Fiesta of Lights was started by brothers Te Rangi and Tama Huata as a millenium project for Hastings.

 

" Tama and I  visited the Festival of Lights in Niagara Falls, Canada and loved it", said Te Rangi. The organisers showed us how they made their lights displays. We were inspired and opened in 1998.  We're building a culture of positive memories for children."

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Who runs the Fiesta of Lights?

Public Dreams Charitable Trust, Hastings provides training and jobs in the arts for people of all ages. 

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Who makes the light displays?

Hawke's Bay artists John George,  Jil of Aotearoa, Chris Edmonds, Ricks Terstappen, Ally Rogers, Dave Tex Smith, Anthony Smith, James Harris and Billy Glover. They made 40+ light displays for us over the years.

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 Where does the money come from?

Grants, sponsorship and fundraising. We raised $30,000 before we open, most of this from selling retail fireworks for Guy Fawke's, candyfloss and toffee apples at festivals during the year. This keeps entry costs down. Under 3 free.

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Who funds us?

Hastings District Council,NZ Lotteries, Eastwater, Clubs Hastings, Trust House, Ngati Kahungunu Iwi Inc,  Eastern & Central Trust, Lion Foundation, First Light Foundation, Creative Communities Hastings, Corys and other local businesses too. We do fireworks shows around the country and sell retail fireworks at Guy Fawke's in Hawkés Bay. From our Guy Fawke's retail fireworks sales in 2025 we bought two 20ft containers converting them into food & ticket booths, foam machine, Italian slushie machine and a kalaidescope of glowing butterflies. 

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What is the money used for?

Pay artists, rent Tomoana Showgrounds, buy lights & hardware, repairs, promotion and employ seasonal event staff. Some are local high school and tertiary students. 

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What else do we do?

We assist Osmanthus Garden Lantern Festival in Cornwall Park, Blossom Parade and Matariki.

We also earn from events outside Hawk's Bay. These  include Dominion Road Moon Festival, Glen Innes Light Trail and annual fireworks displays in Auckland and Gisborne.