Water Theme To Make A Big Splash At NGĀPUHI FESTIVAL 2018
A giant waterslide will keep the young and young at heart entertained all day at next year’s NGĀPUHI FESTIVAL, celebrating the festival’s theme of ‘ko au te wai, ko te wai ko au – I am the water and the water is me’.
Hosted by Te Rūnanga-Ā-Iwi O Ngāpuhi, the festival has grown from just 4000 people in 2004 to over 30,000 in 2016, and is now the largest FREE music, arts, cultural and community event in Northland.
NGĀPUHI FESTIVAL 2018 will be held at Toll Stadium, Whangarei on Saturday 27th January and will feature some of the Aotearoa’s best homegrown talent including award winning RnB and soul singer Aaradhna, soulful roots reggae band Paua and the melodic Modern Maori Quartet. Further announcements of performers will be released via facebook.com/ngapuhifestival and ngapuhifestival.com
Rūnanga CEO Tony Dowling says “the festival is a biannual celebration for Ngāpuhi, NZ’s largest Iwi, and as a FREE event it brings diverse communities and thousands of people together to experience Ngāpuhi entertainment, food, arts, crafts, and hospitality. I encourage everyone to come and enjoy the day, the entertainment, fun activities, art exhibition and all the food stalls”.
Aotearoa’s premier Iwi Arts Exhibition Toi Ngāpuhi returns to NGAPUHI FESTIVAL 2018 with over 50 Ngāpuhi and Māori artists exhibiting world-class clay, glass, painting, sculpture and mixed media artworks. The exhibition will be held in the level two lounge at Toll Stadium and is open to the public from Thursday 25 – Sunday 28 January.
As a smoke-free, alcohol-free and family-friendly event, the festival will have more than 100 food, craft and information stalls, interactive and fun activities for the kids, and designated space for kaumātua and kuia.
Festival Event Manager, Tio Taiaki says “we’re excited to host next year’s festival at Toll Stadium, it’s going to be a fun day for everyone, and don’t forget your togs and towel for the waterslide. We’ll also be live video-streaming all stage performances again, streaming Ngāpuhi Festival to the world and onto the giant LCD screen for everyone to share and enjoy”
Ends.
For all enquiries and interview requests:
Tio Taiaki
Event Manager - Ngāpuhi Festival 2018
027 4165 027
About Ngāpuhi Festival 2018
- Saturday 27 January 2018
- Toll Stadium, Whangarei
- Toi Ngāpuhi Māori Arts Exhibition open to public from 25–27 January 2018 in the level 2 lounge at Toll Stadium
- Theme ‘Ko Au Te Wai, Ko te Wai Ko Au – I am the Water and the Water is me”
- FREE entry to festival and exhibition
- Ngāpuhi Festival hosted by Te Rūnanga-Ā-Iwi O Ngāpuhi since 2004