Hutt City Council’s Hutt Winter Festival is back for a third year, warming up the winter months with an explosion of arts and cultural events suited for all ages, accessibility needs and interests. The Festival is presented by Hutt City Council in partnership with The Dowse Foundation with generous support from Resene Paints.

Highlights of the festival include six headliner projects featuring local artists and performers, including Hutt’s Got Talent in association with GoodTime Music Academy, Eco Fashion Runway, Dance with a Stranger, How to Write and Album, Tape Art’s Winter Sculpture and the Resene Live Action Mural Painting– watch one, paint one. The three day extravaganza will culminate in a Hutt Winter Festival Party on Saturday 17 August, featuring live music, an interactive labyrinth led by local public artists Tape Art, an 80s dance party, art market, and much more.

Locals and visitors to the region will also be treated to over 20 free or low cost workshops at various community hubs throughout the Hutt Valley in July and August - including lantern and live action mural making, jewellery workshops, puppet making, interactive dancing and musical performance opportunities.

“Last year’s festival was such a success in terms of community participation – we reached over 4,000 attendees, more than doubling numbers from 2017. We’re expecting over 6,000 this year and can’t wait to enliven the community through arts and culture, providing accessible, free or low cost family friendly activities and entertainment. We hope to attract more people outside their home suburbs – we care about inclusivity so this is a great way to bring people from all walks of life together,” says Pippa Sanderson, Community Arts and Culture Advisor for Hutt City Council.

“The programme line-up is really impressive, we have over 20 workshops and lots of opportunities to Give It A Go! across the city, a talent quest, an eco fashion show and an art market - there really is something for everyone,’ says Sanderson.

New additions to this year’s festival includes Dance with a Stranger – an interactive installation work, merging the forms of dance, film and touchscreen technology, presented by Daniel James

For those musically minded, How to Write An Album, is an interactive musical performance where the audience collaborates with a 5-piece rock band, The Undercuts, to write an album of songs over the duration of the festival.

Finally, the Eco Fashion Runway is sure to create a real spectacle for opening night. This event features local, national and international designers.

“We are looking forward to providing an opportunity for people to get out of the house, wrap up warm and let the colourful activities brighten up the winter months.” says Sanderson.

Full details on the Hutt Winter Festival programme are available on the website: www.huttwinterfestival.co.nz or on our social media channels Instagram and Facebook.

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