Tauranga's Christmas in the Park is offering a night of festive entertainment from some of New Zealand's most popular musicians while collecting funds for charity.

Kiwi music icon Dave Dobbyn is headlining the annual event at Blake Park, which gets underway at 2pm, with proceeds from the gold-coin entry going to Bay of Plenty families in need this Christmas.

Kiwi music icon Dave Dobbyn is set to entertain those at Tauranga's Christmas in the Park

He'll be joined by Julia Deans and Beau Monga and more, with Tiki Taane again supporting the event and filming a special performance of his new song dedicated to the Bay of Plenty.

'Tiki has been a dedicated local supporter of this event since it started and was our very first musical act back in 2011,” says organisers Rachelle and Chris Duffy from Little Big Events.

'He [Tiki] will be performing a special live version of his new single and is giving locals the chance to feature in the filming of the music video at the event,” says Rachelle.

There will be also be a dedicated Kids Zone Carnival Area; the Night Owl Cinema will be playing ‘Frozen' and a collective of performers and artists from the Incubator will be performing theatre on a mini-stage throughout the day.

And for those wanting to squeeze in some last-minute Christmas shopping will be 50 pop-up stores from The Little Big Markets with free gift wrapping, plus well-known food trucks from Food Truck Friday and Dinner in the Domain will serve food and drinks from 2pm 'so you can relax and eat dinner while listening to live music”.

Rachelle says the event's aim is to bring the community together to enjoy a full day of entertainment, 'whilst also encouraging ‘giving back' so we can directly support families, local charities and community groups in need”.

'We know Bay of Plenty residents love getting behind and supporting others in their community, especially at Christmas time.”

Since the inaugural event in 2011, the Bay of Plenty public have also turned out to support the event and provided monetary donations and gifts for less fortunate children which has helped make a big difference in many people's lives locally.

'To date we've raised over $40,000 for local charities, provided trailer loads of food to the Tauranga Food Bank and donated children's Christmas gifts to Homes of Hope,” says Rachelle.

'We've seen firsthand the large impact that even small donations can make to individuals and families who are facing hardship and wanted to form the trust so we can continue to support these people directly through this event.”

This year, organisers hope to raise more than $50,000 for the local community.

'We encourage everyone to help us to spread the word about the occasion, because the more people that come and join in the celebrations with their local community, the more collectively we are able to give back,” says Rachelle.

Event organisers are also asking festival-goers to bring non-perishable food items and Christmas gifts for children, which will be collected at the event and donated to the Tauranga Food Bank and Homes of Hope.

See www.facebook.com/taurangaschristmasinthepark