Explore new worlds at Auckland arts festival
New Zealand’s largest city – Auckland – is inviting visitors to extend their imagination and explore new artistic worlds during the city’s biennial Auckland Arts Festival. The festival celebrates the distinct and unique characteristics of Kiwi acts, alongside international performances, over a 19 day action-packed programme from 2 – 20 March. More than 500 artists will perform in 75 different events including theatre, dance, music, film and visual arts.
Auckland Arts Festival
The 2011 Auckland Arts Festival is in its fifth year and has become a firmly established fixture on the Australasian and International arts and cultural calendar. The festival aims to showcase leading New Zealand and international work across every art form but make it accessible for everyone through a wide range of ticket prices and free events.
Hotels in Auckland
Auckland Arts Festival Director David Malabar says the festival aims to extend visitor’s imagination and creativity. "Our festival program celebrates the infinite possibilities of the human imagination, the thrill of discovery, and the excitement of travel to exotic places – both in this world, and in the worlds of creativity, ideas and dreams," says Malabar.
Creative line-up
An array of talented local acts include Rapt- a performance that features some of New Zealand's finest international dancers, Samuel Beckett’s film First Love – a compelling encounter with a man reflecting on his first romance – and The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra’s Family Concert. A line-up of exceptional international artists will bring their creative worlds to Auckland including authentic Rajasthan music (from India), the enchanting Vietnamese Water Puppets, and Taiwanese drumming with martial arts.
Free events
Free events for art lovers of all ages will complement the arts festival programme at Auckland city’s Aotea Square – located off the top of Auckland Central’s main street Queen Street – which is being reinvented as ‘The Festival Garden.’ Malabar says the free activities offer an opportunity for everyone to get involved.
Hotels in Auckland
"They introduce new audiences to the arts, often people who have never had the opportunity to enjoy the wonderful experiences on offer at a major multi-arts festival," says Malabar. The Festival Garden will have four hubs – the glamorous Spiegeltent, the Garden Theatre, the TV3 Garden Stage, and the Stoneleigh Bar.
Movies in the Parks
Four free programmes of short films from top Kiwi filmmakers will screen under the stars in the Festival Garden, as part of Movies in Parks. The Spiegeltent will host the ‘In Conversation’ series, with some of the Festival’s most exciting artists sharing their ideas and inspirations, and the TV3 Garden Stage will host a free daily music programme of contemporary and classical music. Artists include Flip Grater, Sean Donolly, Barons of Tang (on their way to WOMAD), NZTrio and a host of well known local DJs.
More information: Auckland
Auckland is New Zealand's largest urban area with a population of just over a million people. It is the largest Polynesian city in the world, and one of the most vibrant, bustling and multicultural cities in New Zealand. The city's landscape is dominated by volcanic hills, and it is nicknamed 'the city of sails' as it has more boats per capita than anywhere else in the world.
It is a water lover's paradise, with some of the best beaches, swimming, diving, fishing, sailing, windsurfing and water sports in the country. Auckland has more than 80 vineyards producing chardonnay, merlot and cabernet sauvignon wines, focused in five main areas - Waiheke Island, west Auckland, northwest Auckland, north Auckland (around Matakana) and the Clevedon Valley.
Foto-Credit: The Auckland Sky Tower, Chmouel Lizenz: CC- by-sa 3.0; Auckland Downtown Waterfront, http://www.freenzphotos.com