Wellington’s PARK(ing) Day 2025

Wellington Sculpture Trust is pleased to announce PARK(ing) Day 2025 will be held on Saturday 1 March from 9am – 5pm.

Jane Black, Chair of the Sculpture Trust, said: “We’re looking for proposals from anyone interested in occupying an inner-city car park with a cool idea for one day! PARK(ing) Day.

“The event is a day to bring vibrancy, vitality and creativity to one of Wellington’s favourite streets. The PARK(ing) Day concept is an annual open-source global event where citizens, artists and designers collaborate temporarily to transform metered parking spaces into living parks,” she said.

The Wellington Sculpture Trust works in close collaboration with the Wellington City Council to make available up to 30 parking spaces in mid-Cuba Street. Artists and other creatives can use the space for any form of artistic and creative expression – music, dance, drama, performance, pottery, painting, poetry, writing, discussion of ideas and topical issues.

Jane says, “The day’s strength is the sheer range and diversity of what those on the spaces can do. Coupled with the closeness of the participants to their audience – passers-by stop and engage with the artists and their ideas. Over the years, many have joined them on spaces to dance, sing, paint, weave, stitch, work pottery clay or otherwise in some way be part of a creative activity.

“If you are an artist, actor, performer? Or if you have an issue you want to engage with the public about? Put in a proposal.”

Whatever your idea, you can take a carpark, 5.3 x 1.8 metres and make it something other for a day. The Trust pays participants $500 towards their costs. Each park should be accessible; enliven our cityscape for one day; provoke reflection about how we use public space; and encourage interaction and engagement.

The deadline for proposals is: Friday 17 January 2025.

The Trust is grateful for the continued support from Wellington City Council, the Council’s Arts and Culture Fund, and the Creative Communities Fund to help make this event happen.

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