

https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU2508/S00317/the-countdown-is-on.htm

The Countdown Is On!

Thursday, 28 August 2025, 2:04 pm
Press Release: Art Deco Trust

The countdown to Art Deco Festival 2026 has begun, with plans shaping up for an unforgettable celebration!

The past few years have brought challenges and successes for the Festival and Winter Deco Weekend, from navigating post-Covid uncertainty to rebuilding after the cancellation of the 2023 Festival due to Cyclone Gabrielle. During this time our Events Manager, Jess Leslie, has played a key role in delivering these events.

After guiding the Festival through these years, Jess is now moving on from the Trust to new adventures ahead. We are deeply grateful for the creativity, energy and commitment she has brought to her role, and for the way she helped steer the Festival through some of its most challenging times. She leaves with our warm thanks and very best wishes for the future!

In 2026, the Festival theme is built heritage, highlighting Napier’s Art Deco architecture and the rebuild that followed the 1931 earthquake. (Photo/Supplied)

The Trust will soon welcome a new Events Manager to carry forward Art Deco Festival 2026. We are also pleased to confirm the Festival 2026 Committee, chaired by Life Member of the Trust, Tania Wright.

The committee brings together a mix of experience and passion, including John “Bertie” Cocking, Kaye Coleman (President of the Auckland Art Deco Society), Larry Morgan (Vintage Car Club, Napier), and long-serving Trust volunteer Jill Verschaffelt. Together they will help guide planning and ensure Festival 2026 is one to remember!

Every February, Napier bursts into life with a spectacular celebration of our Art Deco story.

From the devastation of the 1931 earthquake rose a city rebuilt in Art Deco style. In 2026, we celebrate architecture, honour Napier’s world-renowned streetscapes, and mark a new chapter with the opening of our restored home in the former Women’s Rest at the heart of Memorial Square.

Across a long weekend the city comes alive with music, dancing, vintage cars, speakeasy bars and the glamour of Art Deco fashion, all set against the built heritage that makes Napier the Art Deco capital of the world!

Programme release: 12pm, Thursday 30 October 2025

Tickets on sale to Members: 12pm, Thursday 30 October 2025

Tickets on sale to Public: 12pm, Thursday 6 November 2025

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