Katikati will only host one twilight concert this year – on January 31 – and it’s hoped the district will attend so the non-profit group behind it can revert to three events next year.

If this month’s event is not well-supported, Katikati Twilight Concerts chair Jane Watson-Baker said the committee may have to put the series into recess.

Three Twilight Concerts are usually held each summer on a purpose-built permanent stage in the Haiku Reserve in Katikati, Watson-Baker said.

Proceeds raised from the events goes back into helping local arts students pursue their dreams.

“Going for more than 25 years, they have raised more than $200,000 for arts scholarships for local students going on to tertiary study and grants to local community groups,” Watson-Baker said.

But recent years proved difficult for the series. When Covid-19 placed stringent limitations on crowd sizes, the committee had to cancel a series.

Weather – Cyclones Hale and Gabriel – then stymied the 2023 series, causing more cancellations.

“Cancellation of a concert not only means no funds raised but is, in fact a drain on resources, as up to 50% of costs must still be paid,” Watson-Baker said.

Lower crowd numbers in the past few years also hadn’t helped the situation.

So this year the committee opted to host one concert – starring Tony Lewis, the UK’s premier Robbie Williams Tribute act – on January 31.

“It is only with community support that our Katikati Concerts will be able to continue,” Watson-Baker said. “So let’s all help to make this single summer concert the event to remember.”

January 31’s concert-goers were in for a musical treat. For the past two decades, Lewis has turned heads and wowed audiences worldwide with his portrayal of British entertainer Robbie Williams.

After making his debut in Legends in 2002, he’d continued leaving onlookers asking: ‘Is that really …?’”

Lewis’ show covers all Williams’ greatest hits, with a few special surprises thrown in for good measure.

Watson-Baker said she expected the show would take the audience on a journey of the old favourites, a hint of swing, right up to the modern classics and the sound of a certain boy band. “Constantly rebooked, this tribute show has something for anyone and everyone. The looks, the moves, the voice, the ego...This show has it all!”

Katikati Twilight Concerts’ Robbie Williams Tribute act starring Tony Lewis is on January 31 at the Haiku Reserve. Gates open at 5pm, the concert begins at 6pm.

Tickets cost adults $30, and under-15s gain free entry with a paying adult, Get tickets from the Arts Junction, 36 Main Rd, Katikati; online at: www.theartsjunction.org.nz/twilight-concert-tickets-2026 or pay cash on the gate.

For more information, visit: www.katikaticoncerts.co.nz