Mardi Gras fun boosted by inaugural Mardi Bras competition
Takaka’s Mardi Gras this year enjoyed the most glorious summer weather and again drew a crowd of playful faeries, fauns, firedancers and free spirits to celebrate with non-stop entertainment from midday until midnight.
“It’s the atmosphere,” piped Danny Robinson from Christchurch. “It’s fantastic; where else in the country do you find such a bunch of colourful people?”
Some 1200 people attended the event, which was “significantly more than last year and quite a few people have probably hung on from Luminate,” according to organiser Dave Myall, who was pleased with the overall success of the event and the quality of the musicians.
The parade followed the taniwha that herded the drummers, dancers and characters from a fantasy world. Eight Mardi Bra models accompanied them and later took to the stage on the Village Green, sporting creations made from a range of materials including feathers, wire and pearls, stuffed fluffy wood pigeons, watermelons and tough baskets.
The inaugural Mardi Bras competition was judged by former World of Wearable Arts supreme winner Claire Prebble, who was impressed with the “wonderful creations” and admitted to finding them hard to judge.
First prize went to Le Grand Poulet (photo far right), a feathered bra made worn by Jamie-Lee Berry and created by Frances Soper, who made three bras in the competition. Tori Wells, modelling a small wire creation entitled Busting Out (photo second from left), came second, followed by Karen Brookes’ Pigeon Pair (photo third from left). The fourth prize went to Veronica Hall from Brightwater for the most innovative bra. Ms Hall was caught unprepared when she got to Golden Bay and decided on the spot to enter by scooping out two watermelon halves. They stayed on without any hassles.
Dave Myall took the idea for the Mardi Bras from WOW’s Bizarre Bra section and he hopes for even more entries next year. Ina Holst
