If on July 26 you spotted a sea of red dresses, flowing wigs, and ear-to-ear smiles, you were likely witnessing the annual Whāingaroa Wuther – and this year saw more “Kates” than ever before recreating the iconic red-dress dance from Kate Bush’s Wuthering Heights music video.
“Each year our numbers seem to be doubling,” said Tonya McNamee, one of the organisers. “There were people joining us from Whāingaroa, Hamilton, and Auckland. It was great to see a couple of guys dressed up and joining in the dancing. We had a pretty decent-sized audience across the two locations – Rangitahi Peninsula and Papahua Domain.”
The event concluded with a ukulele performance by the Blister Sisters, who delivered a “ukefied” rendition of Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill.
A total of $131.30 was raised on the day for The Karioi Project.
The first “Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever” was held in 2013 by performance art group Shambush! at a festival in England. The aim? To set a world record for the most people dressed as Kate Bush in one place.
Now a global phenomenon, the event is held around the world in late July – close to the shared birthday of Kate Bush and Wuthering Heights author Emily Brontë. If you missed it, why not join the Facebook group “Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever – Raglan” and join in next year’s joyous event.
