Hundreds of people attended the annual Family Fun Night in New Brighton on Friday evening, described by organisers as a “fun and safe alternative to trick or treating.”

Children and adults played carnival-style games, enjoyed inflatables and a mechanical surfboard, listened to performances by local youth bands, sampled food from various trucks, and took home some of the 30 kilograms of lollies that were handed out.

The event was held at Grace Vineyard Beach Campus in partnership with Youth Alive Trust and supported by key sponsor Home Foundation.

Youth Alive Trust manager James Ridpath said, “The place was buzzing! I don’t know if that was the lollies, the candy floss, or just the amount of fun activities on offer, but all the smiles and thank yous as people left made it all worthwhile.”

The event has been running in New Brighton for nearly 20 years and took more than 50 volunteers from Grace Vineyard Church and Youth Alive Trust to run all the activities.

Volunteer coordinator Hannah Donald said, “We had people as young as 12 and as old as, err, somewhere in their 80s helping to run games, face painting, cook the BBQ, and manage the photobooth. The team effort was phenomenal, and that’s one of the highlights of the whole event.”

Youth Alive Trust has been supporting young people in New Brighton for more than 35 years. More information is available at www.yat.org.nz.