Christmas celebrations in New Zealand start in late November with the Christmas parade on Nov. 25. The parade, which dates back to 1934, originates from a small parade of 1,000 parents and students circling around Auckland. Now it is attended by 4,000 participants and 25,000 tourists from all over the world.

Another highlight of the holiday celebration is the Coca-Cola Christmas event. Having Christmas in summer enables citizens to gather at parks and enjoy their outings with friends and family. The 19th Coca-Cola Christmas in the Park event features famous singers such as Titanium, JAE’O and Michael Murphy, who will sing Christmas carols with audiences.

The light festival is also hard to miss as the TSB Bank Festival of Lights will light up the sky for longer than other light events in New Zealand. Themed as Fairy Forest this year, more than 1,000 light bulbs will light up the 5-kilometer path in Pukekura Park in New Plymouh in Taranaki region of North Island.

(wylee@heraldcorp.com)