100 years since the roaring 20s: Countdown on for special Napier Art Deco festival

The Royal New Zealand Navy Band strikes up great notes during the festival.

It is all rather fitting that here today, 100 years on from the dawn of 1920, the grand and gracious and jolly good show called the Art Deco Festival will devote some special, and entertaining, attention to what was dubbed "the roaring 20s".

And across the local landscape next week, from the February 19 start to the February 23 conclusion, there will indeed be roaring.

Of applause and appreciation, not to mention the fine old sounds of aircraft above along with fleets of vintage vehicles as Napier steps back in time for five now globally recognised days.

And it is a growing phenomenon — every year the great festival just seems and feels brighter and busier.

The Saturday afternoon parade through Emerson St always draws a massive crowd.

Oh yes, it packs 'em in.

It is the time when time is turned back and draws thousands of visitors to the region from across the land and across the world.

Along with a landscape of dashing fashions and dashed good tunes, it also draws a landscape of "No Vacancy" signs.

No surprises there, given that the estimated number of people attending last year's festival events was logged in at around 40,000.

And at popular times there can be more than 20,000 people in the central city ... quite a number, and likely to be beaten this time round.

Always fine fashion aplenty at the great festival.

Since its modest inception back in 1989, the event has grown into a global giant, and this year's 32nd festival could be another record-breaker.

It is clearly a theme that strikes a chord, and works.

There is a remarkable diversity of events which have created strong ticket sales, but as has always been the case, there are dozens of free Deco events to be taken in — alongside simply popping a boater hat or fur stole on and wandering the colourful central city streets.

Of the 300 events 150 are free to enter, and all up there will be about 90 hours of entertainment to take in.

And part of that entertainment package is a real gem.

The Art Deco delights are equally at home in the skies with the Warbirds Harvard squadron.

The Phil Crosby Jnr — The Golden Age of Hollywood show on Friday night at the Municipal Theatre.

Grandson of the legendary Bing Crosby, Phil is flying in from Los Angeles and will be joined by Nicole Chesterman and the High Society Show Band in a production specially designed for the festival by William Kirchner.

The Friday show is another ground-breaker for the festival.

Also new to the programme with be the Festival Garden Bar — the perfect spot situated on the foreshore of Napier's Marine Parade.

It will buzz along from Thursday through to Sunday, and will provide an amazing vantage point for reviewing all of the fashion and people, and is centrally located for moving in between events.

And there is always a strong Navy touch and no exceptions this time around, with the acclaimed Royal New Zealand Navy Band taking to the Sound Shell stage for two Saturday concerts along with the new Thank God for the Navy Commemorative Breakfast on Sunday, along with the traditional ringing of the Veronica Bell at noon that day.

From 9am on Wednesday February 19 when the pōwhiri official Māori opening for the festival takes place at the Sound Shell, through to Sunday at 8pm when At The Pictures Swing Time does its last screening at the Globe, there are hundreds of events, activities and tours.

At this stage a visit by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was still a bit of an unknown.
"We haven't heard at this stage," Kennard said earlier in the week.

But it is understood the British High Commissioner will be calling by, with some family, to see what it is all about, although it is an unofficial visit.

On the ambassador front four of the Art Deco Trust crew will take the role this year, and as the trust's board chairman Michael Fowler said, the time, effort and devotion of the trust team and the huge number of volunteers, which can be up around the 150 to 170 mark, was absolutely invaluable.

A few of the "must sees"

· Phil Crosby Jr – the Golden Age of Hollywood – Friday February 21, 7pm, Municipal Theatre

· Vintage Car Parade – Saturday, February 22, 12.30pm, Clive Square to Marine Parade

· Memorial Flying Displays – Friday 21 at 7pm, Saturday 12.15pm, Sunday 2pm. Napier Sound Shell, Emerson St and Marine Parade.

· Soapbox Derby – Sunday, February 23, 10.30am, Tennyson St.

· Gatsby Picnic – Sunday February 23 1pm-5pm, upper lawn by Sound Shell.

. Cav + Pag, one-act operas by Mascagni and Leoncavallo, February 18-24 at the Napier Municipal Theatre.