Wellington, NZ – which has been renamed “The Middle of Middle-earth” in honour of the upcoming world premiere of The Hobbit – is busy making preparations for the big event.
From the 27th to the 29th of November, Courtenay Place and the surrounding roads will be closed to ensure the safety of the massive crowd expected to come out for the event.
In 2003, more than 100,000 eager fans filled the streets for the premiere of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
A report on the road closures stated that the red carpet walk – in which Hobbit stars and VIPs will walk more than 500 metres from Reading Cinema to the Embassy Theatre – will begin at 5pm, with the movie screening at 7pm.
While many details of the event are still being kept secret, it was revealed that a large character from The Hobbit will sit atop the Embassy Theatre. It is unknown which character that will be, but we do know that the film’s art department, 3 Foot 7, are the ones responsible for creating it.
It is also unknown which Hobbit stars will appear on the red carpet, though event director Jamie Wilson noted that it will be a “good turnout” of new Hobbit stars, in addition to some “old favourites” from the Lord of the Rings.
Road closures lasting from 9pm November 27 to 5:30am November 29 include the following streets:
- Courtenay Place – between Cambridge Tce and Taranaki St
- Kent Tce – between Oriental Parade and Elizabeth St
- Cambridge Tce – Between Tennyson and Wakefield streets
- Majoribanks St – between Roxburgh St and Kent Tce
- Alpha St – local access only
- Blair St – local access only
- Allen St – local access only
- Tory St – between Tennyson and Wakefield streets
- Forresters Lane – local access only
- Holland St – local access only
