Kiama was lit up in a blaze of pink and green for the first Kiama Street Soiree.
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The night-time carnival on Saturday kicked off a month of events, part of the Revel in May program, and Kiama resident Mark Whalan said there was a palpable sense of relief among the crowd.
"There was a sense of a real emotional response in the crowd," he said.
"The feeling was post-COVID relief."
With many other events cancelled or postponed due to consistent bad weather since the start of 2022, Kiama residents made the most of a clear autumn evening and flocked to Terralong Street which was closed to traffic.
Shop owners along the main strip opened late and spilled onto the footpath while performers lit up the night.
A roving buggy from Junkyard Beats got the crowd moving and iDance Performers grooved to jazz and hip hop on the pop-up stage.
"It's been a long time since people have been able to sort of have an event like that," Mr Whalan said.
Community reaction online was similarly positive, as residents commented that the event should run multiple times a year with one suggesting to turn Terralong Street into New Orleans' iconic Bourbon Street.
"I think this was a bit of an experiment," Mr Whalan said.
"To let people open at night and say, is there a market for people to open till nine o'clock to do food or entertainment? I think that clearly there is."
Run by Destination Kiama and the local council, Kiama Street Soiree received $14,500 from the NSW government's The Festival of Place program.
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