The lights have been dimmed on Queenstown’s award-winning sensory experience LUMA.
Scheduled to return to the Queenstown Gardens for its fifth year of illuminated art, sculpture and performance on
Queen’s Birthday Weekend, the LUMA team has made the heartbreaking decision to pull the plug on this year’s event.
The group of passionate individuals which make up the LUMA Light Festival Trust have spent the past ten months dreaming,
planning, scheming and preparing for Queenstown’s award-winning arts and culture event.
LUMA Trust chairman Duncan Forsyth said they had been “crossing our fingers” that LUMA20 would be able to defy the
Covid-19 odds and bring a ray of bright, colourful light to the start of June.
“Today the LUMA Light Festival Trust made the difficult decision to cancel for 2020 and focus our energy on looking
after each other, our whanau, our businesses and the wider Queenstown community,” he said.
“This will enable us to return brighter than ever in 2021. It’s a huge blow to our family of artists, partners, fellow
instigators and funders. We’d like to take this chance to sincerely thank everyone who’s been part of the LUMA story so
far.
“This is the beginning of the next chapter and we aim to begin working on LUMA21 as soon as the time feels right for us
and the wider community.”
Duncan said discussions were already underway with major funders to agree on a rollover plan for 2021.
“The government’s decision to impose restrictions on incoming visitors and more recently, to discourage large
gatherings, is the right one and we fully support it. Every effort must be made to slow down the spread of the virus and
give our health system a chance to minimise harm to all New Zealanders.
“We’re fortunate to live in a community which knows how to look after people and it’s our shared responsibility to care
for one another and above all stay safe.”