Bic Runga is the Hamilton Arts Festival's headline artist for 2024. Photo / Tom Grut
The Hamilton Arts Festival Toi Ora Ki Kirikiriroa is waiting in the wings to bring music, theatre, dance and comedy to town in the new year and has just released its programme.
The festival, previously known as Hamilton Gardens Arts Festival, will run from February 23 to March 3 and will be headlined by award-winning Christchurch singer Bic Runga.
Runga released her first single, Drive, in 1996 and has since won numerous awards. This year, she celebrated the 20th anniversary of her bestselling album Beautiful Collision with a tour across New Zealand and Australia.
In Hamilton, she will be performing on the Rhododendron Lawn accompanied by a live band and Tauranga singer Georgia Lines.
Festival director Geoff Turkington said more than 1200 artists would perform throughout the festival.
“We’re thrilled to present a programme of works that is eclectic, relevant and, in some cases, thought-provoking. However, first and foremost it is very joyful.”
Several shows highlight environmental issues, including the family-friendly circus performance The Ice Cream is Melting, the theatre show Mary Bumby’s Hive of Story and the Force of Nature concert.
Force of Nature, featuring chamber music performed by some of Aotearoa’s most accomplished musicians, will celebrate the vital conservation work of Forest & Bird, while Mary Bumby’s Hive of Story is highlighting the importance of bees.
Like every year, the festival showcases some of Waikato’s creative talent alongside a selection of international and national artists.
British company Ridiculusmus Theatre will perform a dark comedy about ageing and death called Beautiful People, which has been described by the Guardian as “existential clowning”.
Ridiculusmus Theatre will also be presenting So…, a lament on separation inspired by Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic.
Taskmaster NZ’s Dai Henwood, 7 Days’ Courtney Dawson and Nick Rado, as well as Tom Sainsbury and Tarun Mohanbhai, will have the audience laughing at an event called Garden Giggles.
Wellington 80s band The Mockers are also part of the festival line-up and will be supported by Rikki Morris to celebrate 40 years since the release of their hit Forever Tuesday Morning.
Auckland-based Te Rēhia Theatre will present KŌPŪ, a cheeky ballad of a show sharing the tales of young wāhine Māori as they navigate this world.
KŌPŪ will weave together live music, performance, poetry, and poi to share a hilarious and honest account of the performers’ experiences of wāhinetanga.
After the success of Vivaldi by Candlelight at this year’s festival, the Ancient Egyptian Garden is set to come alive again with Classical Jazz by Candlelight from Ensemble Aaru and Oct Ensemble.
Talking About Jazz, a line-up of current and past students and associates of Hamilton Boys’ High School, will perform the biggest hits from Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald for Big Band Jazz Spectacular.
A special one-off collaboration between NZ Opera and Opus Orchestra called Figaro! Figaro! Figaro! will give the audience a taste of some of the world’s most famous operas such as Rossini’s Barber of Seville and Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro.
Turkington said the festival had an emphasis on being accessible to all. As well as 45 ticketed events, there will be a range of free experiences.
One of them will be the Sunset Symphony on the first Saturday of the festival, with music provided by Trust Waikato Symphony Orchestra.
The Hamilton Arts Festival was first held in 1998. It was founded by Hamilton Gardens legend Dr Peter Sergel, who ran it for the first few years before creating the foundation that now organises it.
For the upcoming festival’s full programme and tickets visit the Hamilton Arts Festival website.
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