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About 3000 sausages, 1500 bacon and egg sandwiches and 1500 hot cross buns are being served up at the free Easter in the Park event in Mount Maunganui today.

People in the crowd dress up for the Easter in the Park event. Photos by: Cameron Avery.

Organised by Mosaic Mount Maunganui, the free Easter event for all ages is at Coronation Park from 10am to 1pm.

Mosaic church pastor Joel Milgate says the church decided the best way to celebrate the story of Jesus and the meaning behind Easter was to give to the local community.

"Easter in the Park is about sharing the goodness and generosity of Easter with our community. Our community inspires us."

There's a free sausage sizzle, bacon and egg sandwiches, expresso coffee, fruit salad, hot cross buns, candy floss and hot chocolate to tempt the taste buds.

The event will also feature 13 bouncy castles, a mechanical bull, mechanical surfboard, ‘chair-o-plane', slides – and a giant obstacle challenge course.

Children's entertainer extraordinaire Degen Prodger, as the 'Faster Chef', will entertain the crowd with a humorous interactive cooking class. The special children's stage area will also be flanked by craft tables and free face painting.

Local bands ‘TheYoung Ones' and ‘Lounge Dogs' will deliver live entertainment.

For the last three years, the Easter Sunday event, run by over 100 volunteers, has given families a free enjoyable community outing.

Simon Cotter with Trelise Cotter, 6.

The weather kept some away from the 2014 Easter in the Park, dropping numbers to 5500 – but this year organisers are expecting a crowd of more than 7000.

Mount Mainstreet manager Peter Melgren says Mount Mainstreet is proud to support Easter in the Park.

'I've watched this event grow from its inception in 2012 when I was the city events manager for Tauranga – and it provides a wonderful range of activity and entertainment for the community.”

Mosaic is a group of generous people who help set up community gardens, run youth programmes, organise house makeovers and help with community meals.

Easter in the Park is at Coronation Park from 10am to 1pm on Easter Sunday. Entry is free.

Families enjoy the Easter in the Park event.

The free Easter in the Park event is for all ages.

Main organisers Jackie Wickham, Renee Ryland and Nicky Mayne. Photos: Rosalie Crawford.

Riding the Pepi Toot train. Kairos, Jewel, Rhylee, Divine, Ricci-London, Jamin and Sharon Tahere.

Mitchell Johnston having his face painted by Mosaic volunteer Delwyn Wanhill.

Daniella Johnston also getting painted.