Hold on to your hats, the Nelson Arts Festival’s 20th anniversary programme has landed, with an extra special line up of theatre, dance, music, comedy, writers’ talks and free events to mark an extra special birthday.

Over 85 events including six international acts feature in this year’s festival from 16 - 27 October.

Nelson City Councillor Gaile Noonan says the Council is very proud to present the country’s longest running regional arts festival, which brings the community together to celebrate creativity in all its forms like no other event in the Top of the South.

“The festival started as a small collection of events to support the World of Wearable Art Awards. Today, it is a sophisticated 12-day celebration of global and home grown acts, hosting up to 140 visiting artists and performers, and attracting 12,500 people to ticketed events.”

Nelson Arts Festival Director Sophie Kelly says this year’s birthday line-up includes a wide range of works to suit a whole combination of tastes.

Highlights include Tim Finn’s intimate new work White Cloud, a fusion of storytelling and music, 10-piece big band Sal Valentine and the Babyshakes, and the handsome, hilarious and harmonious Modern Maori Quartet.

Headlining the festival to mark its birthday is Australian contemporary circus troupe Circa’s dazzling new piece Beyond; and a specially commissioned video-mapping light installation on the historic windmill at Founders, Winds of Time.

Ms Kelly says the festival programme includes deliberately unique pieces from socially and culturally diverse artists like Wellington’s Orchestra of Spheres as well as some real crowd pleasers like Julia Deans and Open Souls.

This year Man Booker Prize winner Eleanor Catton leads the line up in Page & Blackmore Readers and Writers, which also includes a sure to sell out Thinking Brunch on the future of public broadcasting.

The hugely popular Masked Parade – one of the largest walking parades in the Southern Hemisphere - is being held on the second day of the festival, on Friday 17 October, themed ‘Earth, Wind and Fire’. The parade is followed by the More FM Carnivale, a free event on Trafalgar Street that same night with street performances, food stalls and great bands.

Once again Founders Heritage Park will be the festival base, but this year other venues include intriguing locations such as a bus, The Refinery Art Gallery and Saint Peter’s Church at Founders. Venues also include the Theatre Royal, The Suter and regional venues such as Neudorf Vineyards and Woollaston Estates.

Tickets for the festival go on sale from 5pm today. Ms Kelly expects at least a couple of shows to be sold out within the first week.

“We’re very lucky that our festival is hugely supported by the Nelson community and visitors planning a long weekend in our sunny region. My advice is not to muck around as the most popular shows are often snapped up in a hurry.”

To book your early bird tickets, visit nelsonartsfestival, the Theatre Royal box office week days or the festival ticket booth at the Saturday market.  You can see the full line up on the website or grab a programme at Nelson City Council, libraries, retailers, cafes and key visitor outlets in the region. The website will be live from 5pm today (Friday, 8 August).

The Nelson Arts Festival is presented annually by the Nelson City Council as a celebration for locals and an attraction for visitors.

Media Release: Nelson City Council