Despite showers in the city this afternoon the Tauranga Waterfront Festival is still on and organisers are encouraging people to get back down to the site for all the action.

Event manager Penny Mitropoulos says a lot of entertainment is still to come and the sun has come out, so all acts are still on schedule.

The Tauranga Waterfront Festival is still on this afternoon despite earlier wet weather.

'We've just moved the kids market form The Strand to the Waterfront so if it rains again they are sheltered – that's the only change, we've moved some things around.

'And everything else is going good – the entertainment is still going and the fireworks are still going to go off tonight.”

Penny says the third annual festival had more than 2000 people earlier today but showers have seen some families leave – and she wants people to return as the weather picks up.

Earlier on things were looking damp, but organisers say the sun is now shining.

'The sun has come out – so these people are all kind of trickling back in again.

'So I guess we will get more as the afternoon progresses.”

Penny says if people have left – the message is get back down to the waterfront.

'The entertainment is still going, the rides are still going and the fireworks will still happen.”

Penny says the jet-ski guy and puppet man have been big drawcards.

'I think they are all waiting for the fireworks as well.

'We've also got a lot of people liking the Mirror Man and Mirror Woman, they're dressed up all funky and the kids are all over them.”

The festival – from 12 noon to 7pm – is running as planned with plenty of activities – on and off the water – including arts, crafts, children's stalls and live entertainment.

Penny says the first festival three years ago celebrated the waterfront's new look and pulled 4500 people – this year it's all about showcasing 'everything Tauranga”.

'We've got a huge array of different artists – a few that come from outside Tauranga but most from the city and are local – to entertain us.”

Children have fun at today's Tauranga Waterfront Festival - on until 7pm.

Entertainment includes ‘X Factor' contestant Jessie Matthews' band Daughters of Ally, Rhythmic Chicks, Crooners and U4RIA.

Tauranga's Urban Dance will perform three times at a space beside the Spruce Up village, kindly supplied the Spruce Up company.

The new feature is the Kids Market – with more than 20 stalls manned by children, some of them selling things they've made.

'This is really cool because it keeps the markets family-focused – the children will be mostly primary and intermediate age kids,” says Penny.

Singer songwriter Megan Sidwell will perform, as will musicians Alice Sea and Aaron Saxon.

More FM's Bel and Brendon are hosting the event with the More FM Old School Summer Road Trip Caravan and the More FM Kidzone.

Penny says this has a photo booth, so families can capture their moment at the festival and take home as a memento.

For the younger ones there's an amusements area at the northern carpark for those 13 and under, with a cup and saucer ride, children's swinging chairs and a dragon wagon kids roller-coaster at low prices.

The amusements area at the northern carpark is proving popular with young ones.

Artists by creative entertainers Highly Flammable will roam the crowds as a Mirror Man and Mirror Woman – 'they don't just stand there, they move in and around the crowd” – and a bouncy clowns pair will be doing tumbling acts in clown suits 'and integrating the children into it”.

There's also trolley derby displays, food vendors offering mostly healthy cuisine, and the Cargo Shed with crafts, arts and music.

Upcoming events will be promoted too – with a boat display previewing the Tauranga Boat Expo 2014 and garden and art installations signalling the New Zealand Garden and Art Festival in November.

'We're just putting together everything that's coming up and supporting them too, but also making a big showcase of everything that is Tauranga,” says Penny.

Another team of entertainers will move in at darkness to offer a display of fire tricks, and the day's festivities wrap up with a harbour fireworks finale sponsored by Downer at 7pm.

The Strand is closed from Devonport Rd to Harrington St to 9.30pm tonight.

To learn more visit Tauranga City Council's Facebook page ‘Hey Tauranga'.