Auckland’s cultural scene is in for a shake-up as the inaugural Splore-City event descends on the renovated Aotea Square and the Town Hall on February 11-12, 2011. This 100% Kiwi-owned urban festival will bring with it the colour, frivolity and quirkiness that is already synonymous with Splore.

With the next Auckland beachside Splore festival still 17 months away, the Splore directors are easing the wait for the popular festival’s followers, bringing a dazzling two nights of extraordinary entertainment right into the heart of Auckland’s BIG Little City. Designed to deliver the same diverse, multi-disciplinary, visually inspiring fusion of music, arts, culture and community for which Splore is known, Splore-City will be the city party of the summer.

While music remains the cornerstone of all Splore events, art installations also play a key role. Splore-City plans to present world-class artists to Queen St, using state of the art technology to adopt the urban environment as a bold new canvas. Rather than hiding the city, the visual arts programme will highlight the CBD through digital media, technology and innovative design.

Amanda Wright, Splore’s festival director says that the biennial Splore event is always eagerly anticipated and that the biggest complaint from the audience is that it’s not an annual fixture.

“People just don’t want to wait that long, so we decided to relocate everything that is Splore into the city. Auckland is crying out for a true multi-discipline festival of this nature and we’re looking forward to bringing the Splore community together again in an urban setting.”

It also means that people who have heard of Splore, but can’t fathom camping, can finally experience a Splore event.

Those who regularly attend Splore share a common bond, identifying with the underlying principles of the festival to form a community of self-named ‘Splorites’. They – and those less familiar with the Splore phenomenon – are all set to ‘Splorify Auckland City’ in February 2011.

Splorites will be presented with a Splore-City site divided into several defined zones featuring monumental or interactive artworks that will act as markers or beacons. The festival area will be colourfully dressed to reflect Splore’s trademark ethos and culture.

The event will be spread between a main outdoor stage in Aotea Square and the Concert Chamber, which will be transformed into a Living Lounge. Sticking with the family friendly festival spirit, a Rumpus Room will be packed with playthings for the children. The Town Hall’s Great Hall itself will become centre stage for everything from workshops to a spectacular all-night dress-up party. And plenty of engaging performances, art projects and spectacular displays will keep the audience absorbed for another ‘Sploricious’ weekend.

Splore-City will run on Friday from 3pm-midnight and on Saturday from midday-11pm, followed by the Town Hall party. Individual tickets to separate shows will be available at The Edge – www.the-edge.co.nz

Log-in for the new Splore-city website at www.splore.net – live from 8^th October. People can pre-register now by joining www.splore.net then JOIN to get the latest news, best ticket deals and be in to win free tickets. Tickets will be on-sale to pre-registered people from mid October via The Edge http://www.the-edge.co.nz/splorecitysignup.aspx

Ends

In a nutshell:

• Splore-City is a multi-disciplinary, family friendly festival offering a diverse programme of music, performance, art installations, video mapping and general frivolity.
• It will be held over two nights and one day in the heart of Auckland city on February 11-12, 2011. Venues will include Aotea Square, and the Town Hall Great Hall and Concert Chamber.
• Tickets will be available from The Edge. Pre-register now at www.splore.net / JOIN for advanced ticket sales

For further information, hi res photos and interview opportunities, please contact Suzanne McNamara, Convergence Communications, 09 638 8331 or 021 933 331 email suzanne@conv.co.nz