New Twists On Old Favourites

The Sealord Summer Festival programme will be out on the streets in early December, promising a few new twists on some old favourites.

The action begins on Saturday December 16th, an earlier date than usual for the Canterbury Community Trust Lantern Spectacular. Nelson City Council Festival Director Annabel Norman says traditionally the evening walk up the Centre of New Zealand has been held on the Saturday before Christmas.

³With Christmas Day on a Monday this year there was a clash with some of the carol services,² she said. ³Having this big family event with all its zany art installations, Mr and Mrs Santa, music and fairy lights sets the tone for this festival, and needs to be timed so Nelson families can enjoy it.²

Sealord Night with the Stars on Saturday February 17th features Sir Howard Morrison as the special guest, with an opera line up lead by mezzo soprano Helen Medlyn. The programme will have a selection from the world of opera and popular contemporary music, backed by the Vector Wellington Orchestra under the baton of Marc Taddei.

This year¹s Summer Movies Al Fresco take a trip back to the glory days of Hollywood, with such classics as the original King Kong, Top Hat with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, the Wizard of Oz with Judy Garland and Rebel Without a Cause staring a young and spunky James Dean.

³This year there will be an Amplified Picnic¹ before most of the movies,² Ms Norman said. ³We¹re working with the Tasman District Council on these events so they happen right around the region and not just in the city. Families can come along early with a picnic, listen to the music, have a bit of a boogie and some fun with hula hoop, jump rope and big ball volleyball until it gets dark enough to show the movie.²

There is a new sponsor for the Kaimira Ventures Buskers & Street Theatre Series in early February, with Buskers On The Streets, at the Top of Trafalgar Street and going bad in the popular adult review at the Boathouse. A Portuguese clown and the Motley Two (with a mullet to die for) are among the buskers booked for this series.

In another programme change the Collingwood Street Fresh Choice Trolley Derby will be held on March 10th, still promising thrills on the hill, plus an increasingly arty focus on trolley design. Ms Norman said the later date would again cater to the family audience by avoiding school holidays and anniversary weekend.

³It gives people plenty of time to work on their trollies after the Christmas rush and it keeps the festival focus running right on through the summer,² she said. ³The design guide is on the website now with links to thrills from last year on the video website you-tube.²

Other highlights include the Nelson Mail Teddy Bears¹ Picnic in Stoke¹s Isel Park, on January 14th, and throughout the summer there will be Street Beat lunchtime and Saturday morning entertainment in the city, mainly from local performers and from some of the musicians here for the Woollaston Jazzfest.

The programme with illustrations by Golden Bay artist Dean Raybould, is a listing of all summer events in the Nelson and Tasman regions. The Nelson City Council produces the Sealord Summer Festival as a celebration for locals and visitors in Nelson over summer. More information at www.nelsonfestivals.co.nz

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