All the arts coming toTauranga

Tauranga songstress Ria Hall is opening the Tauranga Arts Festival with a Waiata. Photo/John Borren

Tauranga Arts Festival starts on October 19 in its 10th festival year.

The festival will deliver 10 days of non-stop acts from around the world and various genres - writing, art, dance, visual arts, theatre and music. There will be workshops and community events aimed at family fun.

The biennial festival, which began in 1999, continues its tradition of a community day with pop-up markets and free entertainment taking place along The Strand, closed to traffic on October 21.

Bloom, comprising thousands of interlocking pieces, will be planted on the waterfront for Labour Weekend, allowing everyone to create sculpture.

The festival offers a unique venue this year with The Floating Theatre mooring at the waterfront from October 25-28.

Overseas performers winging their way here include the two-person circus show Pss Pss (Switzerland), Australian folk music trio Bush Gothic, German duo Otto and Astrid (Die Roten Punkte) with a new comedy cabaret, Big Dad Wilson who brings the sounds of the America South, and writers Kate Grenville, Phil Jarra (both Australia) and Pulitzer Prize-winning William Finnegan (US).

Among Kiwi acts are Cudo (urban beats dance and award-winning hip-hop), The Mao Sidesteps showband, chorale group Voices NZ who will bring a tribute to spring, one- woman show Miss Jean Batten and two dance-theatre pieces inspired by cheese-making - The Creamery for adults and older children, and Cheese for younger children.

Tauranga Moana songstress Ria Hall will again lead an early morning public performance of the waiata Takiri ko te Ata, to open the festival on October 18 and is performing in her own show, Rules of Engagement, on October 28.