200 artists.
50 works.
11 days of unmissable arts experiences.
21 - 31 October 2021
As of 23rd of September 2021
CONFIRMATION OF HAPPENING EVENTS
Mask Carnivale (29 Oct)
Night Vision (21 Oct)
Couch Stories (27 Oct)
PechaKucha (31 Oct)
Silver. Stone. Wood. Bone. (18 Oct)
Through The Eye of Whakatū (throughout)
Exhibitions at Refinery ArtSpace by Samara Davis & Vicki Smith (throughout)
He Raranga Kōrero: Weaving Conversations at Suter Art Galery Te Aratoi o Whakatū (throughout)
Nelson City Centre ArtWalk Tours (22, 28 & 30 Oct)
And Pukapuka Talks including:
Throughout the Festival:
Writing Home: An Antidote to Feeling Stranded (digital)
FRI 22 OCT:
10.30am Pure Psychic Automatism (workshop at Elma Turner Library)
3.30pm Connections & Cultural Obsessions
5.30pm Navigating Space & Time
SAT 23 OCT:
11am: Whaiora: Reimagining Wellbeing
1.30pm: Only A Few Years From Now...
3.30pm: The Mansfield Legacy: Blessing or Curse?
SUN 24 OCT:
10.30am: The Crucial Decade: Responding to the Climate Crisis (Theatre Royal)
1.30pm: Beyond The Headlines: True Crime
3.30pm: Asian Voices in Aotearoa
5.30pm: Wāhine Wahapū (doors open 5pm, Red16)
MON 25 OCT:
3.30pm: Sisters Are Doing It (inc drink & nibbles)
Tickets for the cancelled shows will be refunded in full - please read more about this here.
Please sign up to our newsletter, keep an eye on our social media, and check back here for updates and notifications.
Thank you for your understanding and support, arts lovers. We are so very grateful for you.
Kia kaha, kia atawhai, kia haumaru.
Stay strong, stay kind, stay safe.
17 September 2021
IMPORTANT UPDATE: DOWNSCALING OUR 2021 PROGRAMME
It is with immense disappointment and sadness that we have had to cancel most of our 2021 shows and events due to the continued impact of the Covid-19 Delta outbreak.
Despite working hard throughout this time towards our 2021 offering, the ongoing lockdown and alert level restrictions have created a situation where we had to assess not only what is possible, but what is the right thing to do by our community, our artists and our people at this moment in time.
The Festival’s kaupapa is focused on caring for our community - and we have made our decision with this care in mind. Looking out for the health and wellbeing of all those attending, performing and working at the Nelson Arts Festival, as well as our wider community, has to be our utmost priority.
We have made this decision now in order to be in the best position to provide clarity and support those most affected by these cancellations: our artists, technicians, producers and partners working and creating for the Festival. Delaying this decision further would put the Nelson Festivals Trust at jeopardy and risk our ability to sustain support for artists, staff, venues and our community long term. While we are deeply sad and disappointed to not be able to share all the incredible shows we had planned for this year’s Festival with you, we believe it is the right decision to make.
Our scaled back programme will remain focussed on our core intention for 2021: CONNECTION.
With the hope that Whakatū will return to alert level 1 by early October, we are working towards a locally-focused programme of events, including Mask Carnivale, Night Vision and Pukapuka Talks, our collaborative project, Through the Eye of Whakatū, Couch Stories, PechaKucha, and most of our visual arts offering. We will provide updates on all events as we are able to confirm them.
Tickets for the cancelled shows will be refunded in full - please read more about this here.
Please sign up to our newsletter, keep an eye on our social media, and check back here for updates and notifications.
Thank you for your understanding and support, arts lovers. We are so very grateful for you.
Kia kaha, kia atawhai, kia haumaru.
Stay strong, stay kind, stay safe.
Nau mai,
haere mai!
Nau mai, haere mai ki te whānau!
In 2021, we have commissioned new works especially for our place and our people, with a beautiful Refinery ArtSpace takeover from Charles Koroneho, sound ritual/absurdist dance gig by Vanessa Worm, Flavio Villani playing compositions from global sensation Nils Frahm (as well as his own), and the Aotearoa premiere of the internationally renowned Walking:Holding.
We are bookending the festival with our two full city explosions — Night Vision returns to kick us off and the revamped Mask Carnivale rings in our final weekend. Join us (almost) every night at East St Festival Hub, as we take over East St Cafe & Bar with a series of our best Whakatū and Aotearoa-wide gigs.
With most of the Fest happening within the CBD, you can dash between events with everything from top theatre productions, award-winning musos, happenings for our young ones and the whole whānau and, of course, the excellent minds and hearts housed within Pukapuka Talks. Phew!
See you at a show, a gig, a talk or perhaps even let’s hold hands — welcome to your Nelson Arts Festival 2021.
Lydia, Rose, Shanine, Annie, Kerry, Sarah, Wendy
& the Nelson Arts Festival team
Featured Events
Here is a selection of events from this year's exciting programme!
Our Festival
