Mayor’s column: Nelson Arts Festival turns 30

The 2024 Nelson Arts Festival launched this week with a lineup of more than 200 artists delivering 56 events to enchant residents and visitors to our stunning region.

This year is extra special as we celebrate the festival’s 30th anniversary. For three decades, this popular event – the longest-running annual arts festival in New Zealand – has been filling our city with creative theatre, dance, music, literature and visual arts.

Nelson City Council was a key player in the festival’s creation 30 years ago, appointing Annabel Norman to research and develop the event as well as providing funding, assistance and the use of public spaces. Council remains the core funder of the festival, which has been run by the Nelson Festivals Trust since 2019.

There is an action-packed 11-day programme this year to captivate and entertain festivalgoers including exhibitions, music, theatre, family-friendly shows, Pukapuka talks, installations and community events. One of the most popular community events is the Mask Carnivale, which is on 1 November. After a three-year hiatus, the Mask Carnivale returned in 2023 and it’s great to see it back on the agenda for 2024. This is always a highlight and a family favourite.

As well as the Mask Carnivale, I am keen to see several other events including the specially commissioned crochet-based exhibition Waka of Dreams: Punanga Pohewa by Lissy and Rudi Robinson-Cole, which is free and on at the Refinery ArtSpace.

My thanks to everyone involved in staging the festival over the past 30 years with a special mention for Artistic Director Lydia Zanetti who is moving on in 2025 after four years in this top role.

The creative sector is important to Nelson, which is known to many as the arts capital of NZ. I hope you will make the most of the opportunity experience some of this vibrancy and creativity during the Nelson Arts Festival, which is on until 3 November. Visit www.nelsonartsfestival.nz to see the programme and, while you are there, have a look at the photo archive of previous festivals to relive the past 30 years of Nelson Arts Festival.