Get excited:


Over 200 artists will join us in Whakatū for 11 days of awe-inspiring, audacious, accessible and: unmissable arts experiences this spring.

Take a look at our programme trailer and then head to All Events to find your favourite(s):

Piki mai, kake mai.
Welcome to Nelson Arts Festival 

Many boats in one ocean, looking to many stars in one sky.

Ko te pae tawhiti whāia kia tata, ko te pae tata whakamaua kia tina.
Seek out distant horizons and cherish those you attain.

2024, our 30th Nelson Arts Festival.

A Festival (and a fleet) carving a path through the cresting wave.
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Awe-inspiring.
Audacious.
Accessible.

Celebrating 30 years of unmissable arts experiences for and with our community.

Take a trip down memory lane with our festival archive and memory wall.

Featured Events

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SLIP

Rebecca Jensen with Aviva Endean

Suter Theatre
Wed 23 Oct, 6.30pm + Thurs 24 Oct, 8pm | 50 min 

SOUND AND MOVEMENT WORKSHOP: Old St Johns Hall
Thurs 24 Oct | 1pm | PWYC ($11.50 – $17.50)

A medieval figure eyeballs the audience, snacking on Doritos to the soundtrack of crunched celery. Live Foley art, cinematic sound and dance meet (un)reality in dancer/choreographer Rebecca Jensen and sound artist Aviva Endean’s ode to the complexity of our current world. 

MYTHOLOGY & MYSTICAL REALISM

Rachael King + Lee Murray

Suter Theatre
Sat 26 Oct | 1pm | 60 min 

Rachael King and Lee Murray both evoke ancient mythological creatures from distant shores in their latest novels: the vengeful kelpie and the nine-tailed fox spirit, húli jīngIn this session they will explore how myth not only maketh mystical realism but also elucidates key contemporary challenges. Chaired by Claire Mabey.  

COURTNEY DAWSON

Dreams Are Free

Theatre Royal
Sat 26 Oct | 8pm | 50 min

From broke solo mum to award-winning comedian and TV star in five years – is this a dream? Join Courtney Dawson for a hilarious wakeup call filled with warm, anecdotal humour and banger punch lines. 

AIGA

Touch Compass

Theatre Royal
Tues 29 Oct | 6.30pm
| 65 min

An exploration of identity, desire, family, and of being disabled and Pasifika, AIGA (Sāmoan for family/whānau) is ground-breaking theatre told through the lens of Pacific Toa award-winner Lusi Faiva.

SUITCASE SHOW

Trick of the Light

Suter Theatre
Tues 29 + Wed 30 Oct | 8pm | 55 min

A traveller arrives at a border with a stack of battered suitcases. From them, whole worlds emerge… Renowned for inventive staging, Trick of the Light (The Bookbinder) guide us through dark comedic tales told via lo-fi shadow play, dancing hands and a 70s stereo.

MASK CARNIVALE 2024

Whakatū Nelson CBD
Fri 1 Nov | 5-10pm

Mask Parade starts at 5.15pm | Carnivale from 5.45pm

What better way to celebrate 30 years of Nelson Arts Festivals than with this all-time favourite – please join us for the street party of the year, Whakatū! There’s so much to enjoy: the parade, pop-up performances, a whole zone curated by the amazing folx at Pasefika Arts and Culture Collective (PACC), a stellar music line-up, and delicious kai from our food vendors. We can’t wait to see you there!

Our Mission

To ignite creativity and connection through transformative arts experiences. 

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