Final chance to catch a show at Hawke's Bay Arts Festival

A scene from Kokako's Song, a children's' show which is part of the arts festival.

The Harcourts Hawke's Bay Arts Festival is in its final days but audiences can still catch a huge variety of acts including music, burlesque, theatre and storytelling.

Festival director Pitsch Leiser says, "We have two beautiful family shows this weekend, Duck, Death and the Tulip and Kokako's Song."

Duck, Death and the Tulip is a whimsical, heart-warming story about an unlikely friendship between a duck, a character called Death and their journey through time.

Together they drink tea, go swimming, climb a tree and provide lots of warmth to each other. Duck asks a lot of questions and learns that Death, as a constant companion, is part of life.

Kokako's Song has beautifully handcrafted life-sized puppetry and live music and is a little show with a big heart.

On Saturday afternoon, we will celebrate and encourage our younger generation in their creative engagements.

They will focus on identity, their place within our changing world and their visions for connection and sustainability into the future. Festival of Youth is a showcase of performing arts from primary and intermediate schools throughout Hawke's Bay.

The schools have each explored the theme Our Earth, Our Water, Ourselves and created a 10-minute performance, using any performance style they choose (from dance, kapa haka, theatre, film to song), that reflects who they are as a community and their relationship to their environment and each other.

On Saturday evening local music duo Margot Pierard and Kurt Yates will debut fresh original work at 7pm. Canopy is the culmination of their long-time collaboration.

Riffing off jazz elements interwoven with the colourful radiance of musical cultures from around the world, their diverse passions blend to create a new, fresh sound where the human voice and guitar commune in perfect balance.

Margot and Kurt's original songs are an invitation to experience a delicate expression of life moments, our beautiful landscape, the fragility of music poised between two instruments, and the intimate space created through their performance.

Friday night saw a sellout show of In Flagrante but there are still tickets available for tonight's evening performance at 9.30pm.

Megan Peacock Coyle, manager of the Hawke's Bay Opera House who has seen this show many times, said, "It's darkly humorous, has incredible dancers and choreography! It's risque, bit on the edge, pushes boundaries, so don't go and see this if you are easily offended … but do go and see this if you want a fantastic, thrilling and fun night out. The soundtrack is fab too!"

As part of the final weekend of the arts festival, Freedom is Behind My Breath will open up the stage at the Blyth Performing Arts Centre for the audience to be brought into the fold of a beautifully told local story.

This story was gifted by a local whānau through a wananga process to a collaboration of performers and theatre makers who have journeyed together over a six-month period to create a reflection of this living story, woven together through words, voice, art, lighting and movement.

Leiser said, "If there is one work that sits above any other in the festival this year, it is Freedom is Behind My Breath. It represents why we do what we do."

Bringing the festival to a sensational end in the Spiegeltent on Sunday, Hopetoun Brown join forces with fellow neighbourhood players and new best friends, Carnivorous Plant Society. Two concerts, two incredible bands, one super-awesome festival finale.

*Tickets for remaining shows are available at hbaf.co.nz or i-SITEs throughout Hawke's Bay.