Revellers paint the town red ... yellow and green

MELISSA COWAN MELISSA COWAN MELISSA COWAN

Hundreds gathered for this paint party at the Bedford in central Christchurch on Saturday night.

Parents: do you know what your children are getting up to at the weekends? Hundreds gathered for this paint party at the Bedford on Saturday night.

Parents: do you know what your children are getting up to at the weekends? Hundreds gathered for this paint party at the Bedford on Saturday night.

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A crowd of 950 people gleefully hurled paint at one another at Christchurch's first Illuminate paint party, held at The Bedford on Saturday night.

Anna Jacobs, 23, said it was the "most fun" she'd had in a long time.

"It took me a while to get into it. You're conditioned, I guess, to not making a mess and looking your best when you go out, but I think that's why I enjoyed it so much.

"It felt very liberating to throw paint at a complete stranger and have them laugh in response."

Although she was initially taken aback when she got a mouthful of flying neon paint, she quickly got into the spirit of the night.

"It's joyful, just like being a little kid again, except you're allowed to drink and there are DJs."

The sold-out event was one of several paint parties nationwide. Others were held in Dunedin, Wellington and Auckland.

- © Fairfax NZ News