• Watch: Counting down to this year’s Art Deco Festival

Watch: Counting down to this year’s Art Deco Festival

There will be an array of 1920s clothing, headpieces and cars on display in Hawke’s Bay this week with more than 40,000 people expected to flood the region for the annual Art Deco Festival.

From 9am tomorrow, with an opening pōwhiri at Napier’s Soundshell, through to Sunday at 8pm when At The Pictures Swing Time does its last screening at the Globe, the better part of 90 hours and 320 events will have taken place.

Watch festival director Greg Howie talking about this year's event.


As the countdown enters its final day, Festival Director, Greg Howie says the excitement levels are building.

“It is going to be a massive event for the region as it is every year and I think it is going to be one that everyone should get dressed up and come be a part of.”

Of particular interest is this year’s feature event; Phil Crosby Jr: The Golden Age of Hollywood — direct from Los Angeles to the Napier Municipal Theatre. The grandson of legendary Bing Crosby, Phil is a classic jazz crooner and has wowed clubs in the US with his Golden Age All-Stars.

The production, scheduled for Friday evening, has been specially designed for the festival by William Kirchner, and will also include the Wellington-based High Society Show Band, led by Nicole Chesterman.

Only limited tickets are available for the event, which Howie says is sure to be a “hit” for those lucky enough to see it.

The show is one of more than 100 paid events that will take place across up to 15 venues around the region. But a substantial amount is also free, catering to a wide range of people, including favourites the Soap Box Derby and Vintage Car Parade, Friday Night with the Stars, Great Gatsby Picnic and Memorial Flying Displays.

At popular times, there can be more than 15,000 people in the central city.

Among the attractions will be the return of a Mainline Steams locomotive after an absence of about five years, with rides between Napier-Hastings and Otane.

This year’s event will also see the introduction of the new Festival Garden Bar opposite the Marine Parade Viewing Platform, open from Thursday for anyone over the age of 18, and the Sunday-afternoon Mission Lawn Garden Party on the beachfront.

The Navy will play a “huge role” in the festival, as always, Howie says, with the acclaimed Royal New Zealand Navy Band taking to the Sound Shell stage for two Saturday concerts along with the new Thank God for the Navy Commemorative Breakfast on Sunday, and the traditional ringing of the Veronica Bell at noon that day.

Since its inception back in 1989, the event has grown into a global giant, with people around the world travelling to Napier especially for the festival.

Howie says a combination of classics including the Vintage Car Parade, Soap Box Derby and free live music, along with some “fresh” events that keep people’s interest.

In its thirty-second year, organisers are still eager to keep taking it to the “next level”. Howie took up the role in September last year, turning an “opportunity” he had thought about, into reality.

“Over the years working in events, it’s always an amazing piece to take over the director role for Napier Art Deco Festival, being the biggest event in Hawke’s Bay and one of the biggest in New Zealand, so it’s something I’m really proud I can be a part of.”

 

Tags