Napier Art Deco Festival The Art Deco Festival in Napier has cancelled its opening day events due to alert level 2 restrictions.
Christopher Tegg
Cameraman Christopher Tegg caught some of the action at the 2020 Art Deco Festival. The festival was set to run from Wednesday through to Sunday, but organisers wrote on the festival website that events scheduled for Wednesday would not go ahead. These included Art Deco vintage car tours, walking tours, the opening ceremony, a 1930s waiata and poi dance competition, and a big band concert. “Based on Cabinet’s updates today and tomorrow, we will make decisions about the events for Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday once we know the status of Covid restrictions,” organisers said.
Benee is signed up to perform at the Electric Avenue music festival in Christchurch on February 27.
Electric Avenue tickets have sold out with 25,000 people set to party in Christchurch next month, but organisers have issued a warning over worldwide ticket scalpers targetting the event. Relying heavily on local talent, the festival line-up has more than 35 artists scheduled to perform across multiple stages over 12 hours in Hagley Park on February 27. Performers include Benee, Fat Freddy s Drop, Shapeshifter, L.A.B., Scribe and Australian artists Tash Sultana and Ocean Alley. Christchurch-based promoter Callam Mitchell, director of Team Event, said it was a record crowd for the event and 3000 to 4000 people were already on a waiting list for tickets.
Oron and Saffari’s festival isn’t like others. Instead of binge-drinking to loud music, ticket holders enjoy wellness workshops, yoga tutorials, sweat lodges and juice cleanses during the day, while an eclectic musical selection soundtracks dance parties at night. “The essence of Earthbeat is for people to feel empowered, revitalised and amped up for life,” says Saffari. “People come away more energised than when they came to the festival.” On that hot March day, Oron and Saffari were standing in the serenity of Ātiu Creek, watching their festival city being built around them with smiles on their faces. Then their phones buzzed. It was a government alert: New Zealand would soon go into lockdown to contain the spread of an outbreak of Covid-19.