18-28 OCT 2019

Welcome to the Festival

The 2019 Festival - the 25th Nelson Arts Festival - sees shows coming all the way from such far-flung places as Germany, Scotland, the USA and even Nelson!

Explore the site to find everything you want from circus to choirs, from theatre to talks, from music to mask, and from dance to disco!

Our thanks to everybody who helped put this Festival together, our partners, our funders, our sponsors, our supporters, our crew, and of course you, our audience.

EXPLORE THE FULL PROGRAMME

Featured Events

  • free

MASK PARADE & CARNIVALE

UPPER TRAFALGAR & HARDY STREETS
Fri 18 Oct, 5.30pm (Parade), 6.30-10pm (Carnivale)

Join us for the 25th Mask Parade! Make this the biggest opening night celebration yet for the Nelson Arts Festival, celebrating 25 years!
  • nz

CELLFISH

AOTEAROA

SUTER THEATRE
Fri 18 & Sat 19 Oct, 8pm

Where hardened inmates come face-to-face with a whole new nightmare: Shakespeare classes with Miss Lucy!
  • free

PIC’S PIKI MAI

UPPER TRAFALGAR STREET & CHURCH STEPS
Fri 18 – Mon 28 Oct, dusk to midnight

In celebration of the 25th Nelson Arts Festival we’re thrilled to bring back crowd favourite Piki Mai, sponsored by none other than Pic’s Peanut Butter.
  • international

SHOOGLENIFTY

SCOTLAND

FESTIVAL MAINSTAGE
Sat 19 Oct, 8pm

Shooglenifty’s unique blend of traditional Celtic folk embraces a wealth of world-music flavours ranging from electronica to alternative rock.
  • nz

PUKAPUKA TALKS: NATIVE SON

GRANARY FESTIVAL CAFÉ
Fri 25 Oct, 1.30pm

Join national literary taonga Witi Ihimaera in conversation with Guyon Espiner, discussing the revealing encore to his memoir, Māori Boy.
  • nz

THE TOPP TWINS

AOTEAROA

THEATRE ROYAL
Sun 27 Oct, 7pm; Mon 28 Oct, 3pm

What better way to celebrate the Festival’s 25th anniversary than to bring back the headline act from that very first year, the glorious, audacious and hilarious Topp Twins!
SEE ALL EVENTS

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