Celebrating a rebranding to the Hamilton Arts Festival – Toi Ora ki Kirikiriroa, the city’s beloved festival returns from 24 February to 5 March, with a scintillating schedule of world-class acts.
Making the most of its beautiful setting in the award-winning Hamilton Gardens, which boast of 50 hectares of themed gardens, the festival hosts a number of events in the beautiful botanic settings.
Listen to the soundtrack to Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge! performed live on the Rhododendron Lawn and hear a candlelit orchestra in the newly-opened Egyptian Garden. The soundtracks to Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs will also be performed live by Aotearoa’s top rock stars including Tami Neilson, Laughton Kora (Kora), Milan Borich (Pluto) and Booga Beazly (Head Like A Hole).
Other musical delights include indie folk band Tiny Ruins, performing in the Chinoiserie Garden, and the free Sunset Symphony with music, food and fireworks.
The Royal New Zealand Ballet bring their hugely popular Tutus On Tour to the Clarence St Theatre, while showbiz icons Jackie Clarke, Laura Daniel and Jennifer Ward-Lealand perform in Rock Follies Forever.
Let the acrobatic artists from The Dust Palace dazzle with circus extravaganza Haus of YOLO, and celebrating the words of Katherine Mansfield as talented songwriters Anna Coddington, Lawrence Arabia and Julia Deans perform original music inspired by the writer’s iconic poems in the Mansfield Gardens.
“We also have some surprises popping up around the place… You might bump into a walking, talking, flute playing tree by the name of Woody for example, or come across a beautiful grand piano ready to be played,” says Festival Director Geoff Turkington. “It’s all part of the fun and magic!”
Hamilton Arts Festival – Toi Ora ki Kirikiriroa runs from 24 February to 5 March 2023. For the full programme and tickets, visit hamiltonartsfestival.co.nz
