Two decades of delight have cemented a local festival as a community favourite.
It has been 20 years since the first Party in the Park took place, beginning in 2006 as a fundraiser towards the development of the Mosgiel Memorial Gardens Park playground.
Since then, the occasion has become a beloved fixture on the Taieri Plain calendar.
Working behind the scenes on every festival has been Ian Chalmers, often assisted by his wife Rosemary.
Mr Chalmers first became involved through his former company Pro Event, supplying sound and lighting for the show.
“Then I got invited on to the committee because they could see the worth of me.
“It is just a labour of love.”
The move to a new location at Wal’s Plant and Fun Land in 2024 allowed the celebration to offer its usual amusements alongside the venue’s existing attractions, including minigolf, a maze and Otago Miniature Road and Rail Society trains.
“We are extremely lucky to get this venue. Such a glorious venue,” Mr Chalmers said.
There will be about 40 stalls, from hats to honey, bone carving to jewellery, and food and drink trucks will be on site.
Mrs Chalmers has been involved in most of the fairs, assisting her husband with the organisation.
“The basic thing is we want everyone to be happy. We want everyone to have an enjoyable time because, to be fair, the world’s got a lot of negativity in it.
“Everywhere you go, people say, oh, we just love the Party in the Park.”
On the stage, entertainment will include local bands The Shenatics and Soul Deep, while activities for children include a trampoline, a playhouse, a bouncy castle, mini jeeps and inflatable castles.
Hato Hone St John will run a site showing young ones how to bandage injuries, and the Boys’ Brigade will host a workshop on the safe handling of tools.
Mrs Chalmers said a key component of the day was that there was no charge.
“You don’t have to have any money to wander around, listen to the music, look at the stalls.”
However, Mr Chalmers said dogs were not allowed.
“No woofers.”
The couple said the reason they, alongside a small committee, stayed involved despite the challenges was the satisfaction of seeing people enjoy themselves.
“If you can have a bit of happiness and a bit of fun, listen to some music, and I love to see the kids in front of the stage and dancing and just that joy,” Mrs Chalmers said.
Party in the Park at Wal’s
Sunday, February 15
10am-4pm
Wal’s Plant Land
109 Bush Road, Mosgiel