STORY:
Christchurch New Year's Eve Bash

The Christchurch City Council plans to provide its citizens with a spectacular and memorable millennium party in Hagley Park on New Year's Eve. According to New Zealand's The Press, Christchurch city leaders are prepared to pay about $3 per resident to provide free and safe family entertainment.

Planning started four years ago. Last year a city-wide poll showed nearly 90 per cent of people expected something extra-special to celebrate the arrival of the year 2000, and 83 per cent thought the city council should play a major role in producing a milestone event.

Christchurch has already taken steps to become the country's leading millennium destination, by establishing the community-based Turning Point 2000 group to do the groundwork needed to celebrate both the past and the future as we cross the millennium line.

The city council has allocated $700,000, spread over two financial years, for the entertainment and security measures, traffic control, public health, safety essentials, and the litter clean-up afterwards. It will also be buying two top-class fireworks displays -- and, for many families, these will be ideal backdrops for their videos and snapshots.

The showcase will be free. Although a variety of millennium events are being presented by various organizations, for a considerable number of people, this, the largest free event in the South Island, will be their only choice. The BBC will use four minutes of Christchurch's celebrations in its 24-hour, live millennium broadcast. We will have four minutes of fame, replayed many times.

Source: The Press

DATE: 3/29/99

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