Thousand Hawke's Bay students dance, dress up, and enjoy Deco delights

Greenmeadows School's Jaymie Pascoe, Year 4 (left), Ceirwyn Ware, teacher, and Emma Duncan, Year 4, dress up for the Junior Gatsby Picnic yesterday afternoon. Photo / Warren Buckland

A thousand schoolchildren dressed in their Art Deco finest took over the Napier Sound Shell for the junior Gatsby Picnic yesterday.

A mini version of the much loved Gatsby Picnic, the new Tremains Art Deco Festival event had tents erected for different schools, with students learning dance moves by the Born to Move performers, being entertained by a 1930s clown, or enjoying vintage music.

Nearly 150 were Greenmeadows School students from years three and four. The majority had dressed up, year four teacher Ceirwyn Ware said, with boys rocking suspenders and girls wearing pearls and carrying parasols.

"They're loving it. We had some practice dance lessons at school so there's been lots of dancing," she said.

Closer to the stage were around 90 Taradale Intermediate students, under the watchful eye of deputy principal Vinka Donkin. As well as a fun event, this had tied in well with the school's term one theme of "Who we are", encouraging the students to think about their heritage and "being part of Napier, and Art Deco", she said.

Student Grace Pritchard, 12, said: "It's been amazing, I like getting dressed up." The costumes were also the favourite part for 12-year-old Sophie Gouder.

"I like that it's about celebrating the architecture, and remembering the earthquake," Caitlin Gundersen, 12, said.

Some Parkvale School students enjoyed the chance to experience an art deco event, like 10-year-old Mac Hill, who said he liked the day as it was fun to dress up, and his friend, Reuben Pope, 9, who said: " I like how it's about history".

Their deputy principal, Ro Hill, said it was important for the children to have an appreciation of what Art Deco was, and what it meant for Hawke's Bay.

"It's fun but it's also making them think about the bigger picture."

Based on yesterday's success, festival director Glen Pickering said it would "100 per cent" be returning next year.

"Having a thousands kids up dancing and singing and having a great time, it was a very special event.

"The schools [thought] it was really great because they all do Art Deco activities throughout the week and they thought it was a great idea to bring together all the schools in one place."