LUMA set to light up our lives again
Luma to shine again. Photo: Luma / Jason Law Photography
LUMA returns to Queenstown Gardens this King's Birthday weekend bringing illuminated art, sculpture, sound production, live music, performance and WTF moments at every turn.
The hugely-popular annual festival couldn't go ahead in its usual format last year due to Covid restrictions, with organisers instead lighting up downtown for Lumify laneways.
But now the main bash is back, kicking off winter in style across five nights from 1 to 5 June.
For the first time this year, attendees will be asked to buy tickets for a specific night, rather than turning up anytime across the weekend.
And tickets will be more expensive, priced $25 for adults, as organisers push to make the event financially sustainable and self-reliant.
There's an early bird $20 rate for locals, however, and the event remains free for under 12s. Tickets go on sale next Wednesday, 1 March, and locals can pre-register before then to get the discount promo code.
LUMA Trust Chairman Duncan Forsyth says after two years of planning, LUMA Southern Light Project 2023 will be a step up on previous years.
"We've been working away on this and it's going to be one you don't want to miss," he says. "All our creative partners, such as Angus Muir and SILO, are back on board, plus some new faces.
"Our desire is to keep changing and innovating, rather than going over the same ground, so there'll be new installations, new environments, new performers, and one extra night."
Photo: Luma 2021 / Aiste Photography
Mike Hodgson, from NZ electronica duo Pitch Black, will be Musical Director for the whole event, ramping up the audio offering.
LUMA is run by a core team of six, which expands with about 100 volunteers over the weekend, along with 60 artists, performers and creatives, not to mention F&B staff and others.
On tickets, Forsyth says the committee wants to move away from going cap in hand to grant funding organisations, asking for big annual donations. LUMA charged a nominal $5 entry fee in 2021.
"The funding we've received in the past has been aimed at seeding the event. Some of that is rolling over, some of it isn't. So, we're in a position where ticket sales need to be a much more significant part of LUMA's income than they have been.
"It's about the safeguarding the future of the event, making it sustainable, rather than relying on grant funding. Without being dramatic, that makes it a bit of a make-or-break year. Our hope is that Queenstown continues to embrace LUMA and helps ensure its long-term viability."
Events like LUMA are also becoming more expensive and complex to run in general, he says.
Ticketing will also help with crowd control, with limited tickets per night. In 2021, around 60,000 people attended Luma.
"Some of the feedback we've had in previous years has been about congestion," Forsyth says. "We want people to be able to explore, get a little lost and discover things, rather than follow an A, B, C path.
"But with people able to turn up whenever they wanted to, it meant the crowds were really variable. Some times, there were so many people, it made it really difficult for everyone to navigate through the gardens.
"We want it busy, we want to have that buzz, but we don't want the pathways to be super-full. The aim of introducing tickets for specific nights is to spread the numbers across the duration of the event."
It will also allow downtown business to benefit from a steady stream of custom, rather than a deluge, as they continue to work through the staff crunch.
Photo: Jacqui Campbell
The festival's commitment to sustainability also continues this year, partnering with Sustainable Queenstown and focusing on waste minimisation through the DISHrupt scheme, providing reusable dishes and cups.
There will also be public transport to help reduce traffic congestion and environmental impact, with buses running return trips to from Queenstown Central (in Frankton) to LUMA.
Pre-register before March 1 for the local supporters offer: LUMA.nz
Photo: Tomas Otahal
Photo: Escape Quest QT
