Dunedin’s Fourth Heritage Festival To Celebrate Architecture

Dunedin’s rich architectural heritage is to be the focus of Dunedin’s fourth Heritage Festival, which will be held from April 25 to April 29 this year. The Otago Historic Places Trust, the Southern Branch of the NZ Institute of Architects, local historians and heritage conservationists are among those who are contributing to the Festival’s programme of events.

Festival Director, Chris Green, says the list of events is growing daily.

”It is very exciting to see the programme taking shape. We are planning some very exciting and original events that will have great appeal for locals and will draw visitors to the city. We have exhibitions, tours, lectures, concerts, drama and heaps of family activities. The public are going to be in for a treat when the doors of many of Dunedin’s iconic buildings are flung wide open.”

Chris Green says that the Festival will not only celebrate the country’s largest concentration of Victorian and Edwardian buildings, but will also celebrate what part this rich heritage has and does play in the lives of the Dunedin community.

“Dunedin’s architectural heritage has always been part of the daily fabric of people’s lives. Families saw their sons, husbands, and fathers off to war at the Dunedin Railway Station, all of the city’s historic churches are rooted in the community, and the University, founded in 1869, has been at the forefront of city culture and traditions for more than 150 years. It’s this wealth that the Festival wants to reflect and celebrate.”

The geographical focus of the Festival will change each day. Events on Anzac Day, the first day of the Festival, will be centred on the Railway Station, Toitu, Queen’s Gardens and the warehouse precinct.

On Friday family games and activities will take place in the Octagon. St Paul’s Cathedral is set to unlock hidden treasures and provide the public with the rare opportunity to view the city and harbour from a unique vantage point. Planning is also afoot to run public tours through the newly furbished Town Hall.

On Saturday the University campus becomes the centre of attention with guided tours of its historic buildings and museums and on Sunday there will be a chance to explore Olveston and its neighbourhood from a number of different perspectives.

Events are also planned for Mosgiel and Port Chalmers.

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