39th year for Arrowtown Autumn Festival
Amazing food, wine, arts, comedy, music and sporting events – all that and more is on the agenda at the 39th Arrowtown Autumn Festival. The extensive programme boasts over 50 events to suit people of all ages, and is run by the community, for the community, with a goal of showcasing local talents as well as historical and cultural aspects of the town.
More than 70% of the events on offer are free, but there are a few that require tickets such as The Art of Wine at Mora, a fun and educational session with four courses or art and wine pairing, or the Comedy Night with Josh Thomson & Friends at Cardrona Distillery. There’s also the ever-popular free events including the bi-annual photography competition, Arrowtown Art Exhibition, street entertainment with MulletMan and Mim, pumpkin harvest and chutney competition, markets, live music and plenty more.
“We’ve got a lot of the favourite events like the Pie, Pint and Pinot, which is already sold out, as well as the quiz night,” Vanessa Williams at the festival says. “We have an outdoor movie on the Friday night for the kids, which will be Despicable Me, and we’ve got some new events – we’ve got Casino Royale at the New Orleans Hotel on the Sunday night – it’s a great idea and the Lions Foundation are providing all the tables and the croupier.”
There’s also the parade and market day on Saturday, at 2pm, which is always a big highlight. It will showcase a range of local community groups, dazzling street performers and over 100 stalls offering local food and artisan products. Some of the most popular events this year are the workshops, which are perfect to keep the kids entertained.
“There’s something for everyone from adults to kids. Saturday is always a great day for any newcomers because the atmosphere is just so huge, with the parade and the market day on. It’s really just a celebration of Arrowtown and everyone involved in Arrowtown. We just want to be able to share that with other people before winter time and have the community enjoy themselves, too,” Williams says.
Arrowtown Autumn Festival will run from Thursday, 24 – Sunday, 27 April. Things will kick off with the official opening ceremony at Buckingham Green at 12pm on Thursday. There’s also an RSA ANZAC Service from 10am – 12pm on the Friday, with a parade from Athenaeum Hall to the War Memorial Park. Head to arrowtownautumnfestival.co.nz to view the full programme and get tickets for those events that require them.
