Jingle Bells: ‘Coast Christmas Singalong’ On Its Way

Aotearoa New Zealand’s Christmas tradition of festive tunes is getting a digital spruce up as we adjust to life in the traffic light system, thanks to Coast and Auckland Live; get ready for the Coast Christmas Singalong.

As a direct result of Covid-19, several Auckland-based Christmas events (and the majority throughout the rest of the country) have been cancelled. While we won’t be flocking to the parks to enjoy an evening of Christmas songs and sunshine this year, those of us who can’t resist a spot of communal carolling have not been abandoned; NZME’s Coast FM has partnered with Auckland Live to bring to life a digital celebration of Christmas for whānau to tune in and enjoy.

“2021 has certainly been a challenging year for live events,” notes Auckland Live Deputy Director, Bernie Haldane. “Our team is committed to finding ways to continue to safely reunite artists and audiences together and this wonderful Christmas event taking place from the Auckland Town Hall stage is a fitting way to safely celebrate the season.”

The Coast Christmas Singalong is a digital concert that will broadcast live from the Auckland Town Hall on Wednesday 15 December from 7pm. It will be filmed under strict Covid-19 Red level restrictions and streamed live and free across the Coast, Auckland Live, and NZ Herald Facebook pages.

The concert will feature performances from many of our favourite Christmas personalities including Jackie Clarke, the Modern Māori Quartet, the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra’s brass quartet, National Youth Theatre and Auckland Gospel Choir.

“And of course, Santa will be popping in to check that we’re following the rules – we don’t want to lose our spot on the Nice List!” adds Toni Street, who will be hosting the event along with her Coast Breakfast colleagues, Jason Reeves and Sam Wallace.

Coast is putting the call out to find New Zealand’s favourite Christmas carol, with the song that receives the most votes becoming the final song of the night. Whether it’s a traditional favourite such as “We Three Kings” or “Silent Night”, or a Kiwi classic like “A Pukeko in a Ponga Tree”, Coast is inviting everyone who loves a good Christmas singalong to cast their votes at www.thecoast.net.nz.

“Thanks to the wonders of livestream technology, the Coast Christmas Singalong will bring together Kiwis from all over the country in a festive singalong to end 2021 on the best note possible,” Street says. “I think that’s something we all deserve!”

Haldane says, “Everyone in the team at Auckland Live is excited to get back to live events and hope that this show gives you a taste of all the fantastic performances to come at Auckland Live in 2022.

“While it will be a different experience to our usual, outdoor Christmas concert events, we think Kiwis will embrace the opportunity to sing and dance along to some great Christmas music and enjoy a fun, festive evening with their whānau from their living room. We are all ready to end the year with a bit of Christmas cheer.”

The Coast Christmas Singalong will take place on 15th December at 7pm on the Coast and Auckland Live Facebook pages – cast your votes here now.

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