My grateful thanks to all of you for your patience and understanding as La Fiesta experienced numerous changes and cancellations due to the alert level change in response to the latest community cases of Covid-19 in the last week.
Now that we are back at alert level 1 we look forward to celebrating the very last week of the festival with you all. There's still time to get into it!
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10
2pm plus 5.15pm: A Right Royal Tour, 69 St Hill St. Koha. Ph Shirna 349 0511 to book. Take a special behind the scenes look at the grand old dame that is the Royal Wanganui Opera House. Explore 120 years of history in the last remaining working Victorian theatre in the southern hemisphere.
6.30pm: A Conversation On Spirituality, venue TBC. $10. Contact Ratna 027 347 1458. An explorative platform for a conversation on spirituality. Not for religious or fixed views, rather a process of discovery and being enriched by each other's spiritual connection and meaning making.
THURSDAY, MARCH 11
7pm: Carrying the Hard Stuff Together – A Community Grief Ritual, Hakeke St Community Centre, 65 Hakeke St. $20. Contact Lorraine 022 096 5673 or lorraine.sheenagh@gmail.com. Grief doesn't follow the rules of space and time. Ritual allows the mind/body/heart a pathway to walk whilst in a liminal space. Together, we will hold grief gently in community through a variety of ritual expressions. Includes ritual tools, seeds, and a grief zine.
FRIDAY, MARCH 12
12-1pm: Te Miringa Parkes – The Journey So Far, Confluence, 14 Watt St. $10. Contact Nicola 027 871 6459 or nicola@nicolapatrick.com. Hosted by Thrive Whanganui, hear insights into Te Miringa's social enterprise journey to date. Whanganui born and bred, this dynamic woman already has several successful businesses. BYO lunch.
7pm: McLean + Millner, House concert, venue confirmed upon booking. $10. Tickets, txt Carla 027 477 6454 or womnet.whanganui@gmail.com. Come and experience the wonder and talents of Taranaki-based musicians Juliet McLean and Renee Millner in the intimate setting of a house concert. Juliet beckons listeners into the heart of her songs. Intentionally disarming, she sings to retrieve the broken pieces, the hopeful balancing of love with the inevitable paradox of loss. "Renée's songs have the beauty and deep emotional entanglement of the singer-songwriter genre, but to tie her down to that limited space would miss the pervasively expansive threads from which she weaves her wonderful music." — Graeme Woller, Musician, Into The East.
SATURDAY, MARCH 13
3.30pm: Frocks On Bikes, 75 St Hill St, registrations from 3pm. Gold coin. Ph 345 6833. Dress up in your finest frock, suit, or superhero costume and join in a fun family friendly adventure ride around town. All wheels without engines are welcome – E-bikes and E-scooters are dandy. Let's go!
9pm til late: Wrap Party with DJ Bex, Maria Lane Eatery + Bar, Majestic Square. Koha entry, donations to the Women's Network. Get your glad rags on and grab your guy/gal pals to fiesta like there is no tomorrow with the grooving tunes laid down by DJ Bex all the way from Welling-town. The ultimate festival finale!
As La Fiesta celebrates 12 years of festival action in 2021, it also recognises the 110th anniversary of International Women's Day (IWD) on March 8. IWD is commemorated as a national public holiday in almost 30 countries around the world, being a women-only holiday in some. The theme this year is "Choose To Challenge". A challenged world is an alert world, one that celebrates women's achievements, and which moves toward equality.
Collectively, we can all help create an inclusive world. From challenge comes change, so let's all choose to challenge the status quo beyond March 8.
Follow and support the Women's Network Whanganui + La Fiesta Facebook pages. Visit our website for festival updates: lafiestanz.com or contact the friendly team at the Women's Network if you need any other festival info by phoning (06) 345 6833 or via email: womnet.whanganui@gmail.com.
