Masks About Town
Whakatū CBD
Thurs 20 - Sun 30 Oct
Opens 5pm Thurs 20 Oct
FREE | All Ages
Celebrating masks and creativity
Celebrating mask culture and creating your own are a huge part of cultural celebrations all around the world and have been a wonderful part of the Nelson Arts Festival since its inception.
While we don’t have the full inner-city explosion this year, we want to pay homage to the magical legacy of the Mask Parade & Carnivale.
While we don’t have the full inner-city explosion this year, we want to pay homage to the magical legacy of the Mask Parade & Carnivale.
So, let’s paint the streets of Whakatū in bright colours and showcase our community’s diversity and creative superpowers! We are working with local businesses to create displays of fantastic creations old and new - and we'd love you to contribute. Submit your own creations for the showcase or send us photos - we’d love to share them with far and wide!
Our friends at Community Artworks are offering workshops and mask making kits, our website has templates for inspiration, or you can get creative with your friends, whānau, school mates or community group.
Let’s celebrate the diversity of our community and experience all the joys of creative expression through mask making.
Our friends at Community Artworks are offering workshops and mask making kits, our website has templates for inspiration, or you can get creative with your friends, whānau, school mates or community group.
Let’s celebrate the diversity of our community and experience all the joys of creative expression through mask making.
Masks About Town is supported by Uniquely Nelson.
Be part of the fun!
Looking for inspiration?
For inspiration, download Masks on Parade, a mask-making and percussion booklet with step-by-step instructions on how to make different types of masks, along with ideas on incorporating sound and movement into your parade experience.
Download the Masks on Parade PDFKeen to create with others?
Our friends at Community Artworks are true mask making masters - you will likely have seen some of their amazing creations in one of our parades or at other events and activations here in Whakatū.
Join them for a free mask making workshop on Sat 8 Oct or Tues 11 Oct, 10am - 12pm, to create your own mask inspired by an Aotearoa native animal. There'll be lots of options, from the shy ruru to the inquisitive Hector dolphin.
These workshops are free to attend but we kindly ask you to register so we know numbers and can prepare materials.
All workshops fully booked!Join them for a free mask making workshop on Sat 8 Oct or Tues 11 Oct, 10am - 12pm, to create your own mask inspired by an Aotearoa native animal. There'll be lots of options, from the shy ruru to the inquisitive Hector dolphin.
These workshops are free to attend but we kindly ask you to register so we know numbers and can prepare materials.
Share your creation!
Let's paint the streets of Whakatū in the brightest colours!
Put on your mask, strike a pose and send us your favourite photo of your creation - we'd love to share your mask far and wide, and showcase it as part of our Masks About Town installation during the Festival.
Submit your maskPut on your mask, strike a pose and send us your favourite photo of your creation - we'd love to share your mask far and wide, and showcase it as part of our Masks About Town installation during the Festival.