Second large-scale community event won't go ahead
The Tuturu Charitable Trust sighted the introduction of a newly scheduled light show in Invercargill - “unrelated to Matariki or te ao Māori” as the reason for the cancellation.
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Weeks after confirmation the popular Kidzone Festival won’t go ahead in 2025 organisers of another well-supported Invercargill offering have revealed it also has cancelled its event this year.
The Tuturu Charitable Trust announced on Monday that the Tuturu Matariki Festival held in Invercargill had been cancelled for 2025.
The Matariki Festival was previously held at Queen’s Park before organisers decided last year to move it to ILT Stadium Southland.
It attracted 8000 people to its opening day last year.
“With heavy hearts, we’re sharing that the Tuturu Matariki Festival will not be going ahead this year. This has been an incredibly difficult decision and one we haven’t made lightly.”
The Trust cited the introduction of a newly scheduled light show in Invercargill - “unrelated to Matariki or te ao Māori” as the reason for the cancellation.
Last month Illuminate Light & Sound Experience - which holds events throughout New Zealand - announced it was bringing its Illuminate Light Show to Queens Park in Invercargill in June.
That would be hard on the heels of the Matariki Festival event in Invercargill.
“Sadly, the scale, timing, and ticketed nature of that [Illuminate Light Show] event makes it too challenging for us to continue without confidence in strong community turnout [for the Tuturu Matariki Festival],” the Tuturu Charitable Trust said in a statement.
”We’re truly sorry to all the amazing schools, artists, vendors and groups who had already started preparing. We see and appreciate the mahi and heart you’ve poured into this kaupapa.”
While the 2025 festival event has been cancelled, the Tuturu Charitable Trust said, “it this isn’t the end!”
They will soon share details about free workshops and creative opportunities “to help us keep the wairua of Matariki alive”.
Meanwhile, Great South - which previously organised the Kidzone Festival in Invercargill - is currently looking at options for another organisation to take over organising it so it can restart again in 2026.