Locally and Internationally acclaimed acts are set to touch down in Te Matau-a-Māui in October, with the two-week Festival running from the 13th to the 29th, and for this year only, standard tickets to most shows are on sale for $25.
The stacked programme offers something for everyone, presenting a variety of genres including circus, music dance, theatre, family events, visual arts, and literature.
“This is a Festival for us all to enjoy,’ says Pitsch Leiser, Festival Director.
“If you are someone who attends year after year, we can’t wait to see you again and please, bring your friends and spread the word! We want this to be the biggest, and most attended Festival in its 9 years running.”
“And if you’ve never been before, this is your year. We encourage you to take a look at the programme, be curious and try something new. Whether you’re a lover of dance, of music, of comedy or of drama – there will be a show for you at this year’s Festival,” continues Mr Leiser.
Arts Inc. Heretaunga, the organisation behind the Festival, announced at the Programme launch in August that tickets to this year’s shows will be half price, or in some cases completely free, to encourage community connection and a moment of joy in response to the challenges experienced across the District.
“There’s a good reason that things look a little different for the Festival this year,” says Festival Director Pitsch Leiser.
“In the aftermath of the Cyclone Gabrielle, we at Arts Inc. Heretaunga knew that we wanted to offer something back to our region, and our community, that we love.”
“Thanks to the incredible support of Mills Family Trust, ECCT and the Hawke’s Bay Foundation, we’re proud to not only be presenting a spectacular line up of events, but to be able to make this year’s Festival the most affordable and accessible ever.”
Some shows are being offered completely free for all, including the sensational headline act 360 ALLSTARS, a supercharged urban circus which has been seen by over one million people worldwide and sold out on Broadway, in Edinburgh and at the Sydney Opera House. Suitable for all ages, two free shows will take place at the Napier Municipal Theatre and Toitoi Hawke’s Bay Arts and Events Centre.
Other free experiences include Napier’s street event Nuit Blanche and children’s tickets to the family show ‘The Grumpiest Child in the World’. The Festival in Schools Programme is also completely free for students in 2023.
A ‘Festival for Free’ waitlist has also been established, with a number of free tickets to all shows being released in October to those who register early at www.hbaf.co.nz.
“This year has been an unimaginably tough one for our community and the last six months have created much hard work, loss, and personal suffering for many,” says Mr Leiser.
“We are also working hard with community organisations to offer a large number of free tickets to those most affected by the Cyclone.”
“The idea behind 2023′s Festival is to bring us together in celebration of our community and to create as many opportunities as possible for people to be able to participate, take a break and find joy and happiness in the Arts.
“The power of us seeing the world through the lens of art, as a collective, cannot be underestimated.
The Festival programme is now online at hbaf.co.nz or available to pick up from local cafés, galleries, libraries, and i-sites across the region. Tickets to shows, whether paid or free, can be booked through hbaf.co.nz or from the Box Office at Toitoi Hawke’s Bay Arts and Events Centre. We’d love for you to join us on social media! You can follow us on Facebook @hawkesbayartsfestival or Instagram @hbartsfestival
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