Following New Zealand’s move to the red setting of the Covid-19 Protection Framework, the 2022 Auckland Lantern Festival at Auckland Showgrounds has been cancelled.
The event, which was scheduled for 10 – 13 February, can only be delivered under the Framework’s orange or green settings.
With the uncertainty of how long the country will remain at red, the decision has been made to cancel the event.
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff acknowledges the disappointment of the event no longer going ahead.
“The Auckland Lantern Festival is New Zealand’s largest cultural celebration, and a key component of the Auckland event calendar, especially for the Auckland-Chinese community,” he says.
“After the cancellation due to Covid of the 2020 and 2021 festivals and other major Chinese New Year events scheduled for early next month, this year’s event was highly anticipated, and we are disappointed to have to cancel it again."