Morning at the Ellerslie Fairy Festival

Yussi18 Sep 20261 min readLocal Guide
Morning at the Ellerslie Fairy Festival
Wings and crowns in every colour, and some very brave pirates. A fantasy world, out on the street.

We went to the Fairy Festival! Last Sunday, while the older two were at a playdate, Jin and I went to the Ellerslie Fairy Festival and Pirate Party, the one I mentioned in the last newsletter. The day before we stopped at Spotlight for a pair of rainbow fairy wings, and Jin decorated them with glitter stickers. She was excited from the moment she woke up.

We walked a long way, an Elsa dress with rainbow wings beside me, and arrived at the grounds right next to Ellerslie train station just as the parade was starting. She high fived Anna and Queen Elsa, both of whom she loves, and waved at Tinker Bell. Her cheeks went pink with it.

After the parade the fairies waited at their own photo spots. Jin queued for one, then another, then another. She went shy in front of Ariel, the little mermaid with red hair, but later she whispered that meeting Ariel was the best part.

Last letter: “Mairangi Notes #23 Our dazzling week

The children were not the only ones in dresses and wings and crowns. The grown-up fairies we met around the grounds were kind about stopping for a photo too. Jin waved the bubble wand she had brought and raced around the whole place. We bought candy floss and hot chips, and one more crown. There were craft stalls here and there, but she was too busy finding fairies to sit down at any of them.

By the time we had met the pirates, Tinker Bell and Peter Pan, she walked back looking like someone had tipped fairy dust over her. If your child is deep in fairies and unicorns and princesses and glitter, this one is worth the trip. If you missed it this year, put next year in the diary.

한국어 요약

지난 일요일 Jin과 다녀온 Ellerslie Fairy Festival & Pirate Party 탐방기. 무지개 요정 날개를 달고 들뜬 아이는 여러 요정들, 공주들과 사진을 찍고 온통 귀여운 날개옷을 입은 꼬마 요정들 사이를 신나게 뛰어다녔다. 요정과 유니콘, 반짝이에 빠져 있는 아이가 있다면 내년 행사를 꼭 기다려 보길.

Yussi

Yussi

Writer · Social work student, Massey University

A mother of three girls and a Korean immigrant making Mairangi Bay home — writing about starting school, home learning and everyday life on Auckland's North Shore.

More about Yussi
MHJ LOCAL GUIDE FREE ENTRY
Ellerslie Fairy Festival & Pirate Party
Ellerslie village, Auckland
When: Held on a single day each September. The 2026 one ran on Sunday 13 September.
Entry: Free. The meet and greets, the roaming fairies and pirates and the bouncy castles are all included.
Fun activities: Face painting $5 a person, animal cycle rides $10 a ride. Fairy floss from the Ellerslie School stall, popcorn from St Marys, food trucks at the kids market.
Where: Ladies Mile and the streets around it, right next to Ellerslie train station.
🧚 Ellerslie Fairy Festival Website → ellersliefairyfestival.co.nz

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