Picton Parties in the New Year

Picton’s foreshore was a beacon of light and sound as Marlburians signed off 2023 in fine style on New Year’s Eve.

With only minor complaints of traffic afterwards and a happy police presence with nothing negative to report, attendees and organisers alike were pleased with Marlborough’s largest New Year’s event in a long time.

“It was a phenomenal evening - we had the biggest crowd I've seen at the New Year’s event and judging by the crowd’s reaction we got the bands spot on”, said Pure Events Marlborough’s chief executive Katrina Lange.

“It's a big day and night for us work wise but it's a real team effort and I love working with my team and the contractors we work with that made it such a fabulous event”.

Local favourites Big Spin, who many would have also seen at December’s Savour in the Park, brought their energetic pop-punk, nostalgia-fuelled cover set before Tom Knowles & Friends set the party up, playing plenty of popular tunes to see in 2024 in front of a full dance floor.

For the little ones, many of whom didn’t make it to the New Year before falling asleep, children’s entertainer Jeff Parsnips offered energy and fun that had kids and parents’ alike boogieing to kick off the evening’s events.

“The sound and lighting were awesome, and the fireworks were amazing. All the hard work paid off seeing so many people have such an enjoyable time”, said Katrina.

“It's so good that the District Council see this as such an important event for the community and visitors to the region by being the major funder.

“The Picton foreshore is just such a perfect backdrop and creates the most beautiful venue for this event.”

Marlborough Police had no reported issues in Picton over the event, with National Assistant Commissioner Mike Johnson saying police were generally pleased with the behaviour of those celebrating the new year throughout the country.

“Many of our officers across the country have described it as being like a busy Saturday night, with some alcohol-related disorder but no significant issues.

“We want to remind everyone who may be heading home from holiday in the coming days – please keep safe and be patient on the roads, particularly with the weather still causing issues in some locations.”