International Arts Festival Programme Out Oct. 30

PRESS RELEASE

30 SEPTEMBER

NZ INTERNATIONAL ARTS FESTIVAL EVENTS PROGRAMME OUT 30 OCTOBER

Thirty days to go until the eagerly awaited event programme for the New Zealand International Arts Festival is released (October 30). It will be available the next day throughout New Zealand from public libraries, cafes and Ticketek offices.

The programme will showcase the best from the world coming to Wellington and will provide information on over 85 international and local shows, which range from dance, music, theatre, opera, visual arts, comedy, the Festival club to the Writers and Readers Week and an extensive regional programme.

Here's a sneak peek - the Festival in 2004 will have a host of Grammy Award winners and nominees, an Oscar winner, a Pulitzer Prize winner, performances straight from the West End, sell-out shows from Edinburgh and artists who appear in the top festivals and venues around the world.

The programme will showcase the hot 'new look' for Festival 2004.

The New Zealand International Arts Festival is the largest and most successful cultural event in Australasia with more than 180,000 ticket sales. At the last Festival more than 1300 artists from 25 countries performed and an estimated 220,000 people attended one or more of the 26 free events.

Wellington, smack in the middle of the country, is the perfect place to host an arts festival. Its layout, like Edinburgh, forms a natural amphitheatre with a host of venues, cafes and bars within a stones throw of each other, allowing Festival goers to effortlessly move from one venue to another.

Festival weekends have been specially programmed in 2004 to provide those from out of town with a range of shows to attend. Staunch festival goers could see up to 11 shows, a couple of free events and some visual art - all in one weekend!

The Festival runs from 27 February - 21 March.

Season ticket holders and Friends of the Festival have preferential booking. Season ticket holders can book between 31 October - 7 November. Friends of the Festival can book between 8 -14 November.

Ticket sales are open to the public on 15 November 2003 at Ticketek outlets nationwide or from http://www.festival.telecom.co.nz/ where additional information on the shows is available.

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