Wellington is set to become a stage when the New Zealand Festival returns for three weeks across February/March 2018.
Before the city’s theatres, concert halls, galleries and Festival Club on the waterfront fill with the world’s best theatre, dance, music and literature, Wellington’s harbour itself will become the stage for a stunning opening night event, A Waka Odyssey, on 23 February. Developed through a unique partnership between A Waka Odyssey Creative Team, New Zealand Festival and Te Āti Awa / Taranaki Whānui Iwi, this free, opening night spectacular is expected to attract tens of thousands of people to Wellington’s waterfront where they will witness a massive fleet of sailing waka from Aotearoa and around the Pacific descend on the capital’s harbor at dusk. This choreographed nautical performance will be complemented by a 1000-strong haka and mass choir on shore.
In 2018, the international arts festival has embraced the theme of journeys; not only the voyages that brought people to Aotearoa, but the daring and technologically innovative artistic expeditions to come. Festival highlights include the stunning Vietnamese circus A O Lang Pho; the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra performing the Oscar-winning Star Wars soundtrack to the original film at TSB Arena; Barber Shop Chronicles fresh from a sell-out run at London’s National Theatre; a reimagined Swan Lake with a contemporary Irish twist; and the family-friendly Future Playground, an immersive, interactive digital playground showcasing the future of digital technology in a creative environment.
When: 23 February – 18 March 2018
Where: New Zealand Festival, Wellington
Ticket Information: festival.co.nz
