Winter Art Deco event well attended

Traffic came to a standstill when Encore Dancers from the Born to Move Dance studio including Emily Coppell, (front), entertained pedestrians outside the Art Deco Trust in Napier.

Napier travelled back to the roaring '20s and '30s over the weekend, with the annual winter time celebration of the city's Art Deco architecture heralded as the most successful yet.

From the Winter Deco Welcome to the Farewell Soiree, Art Deco Trust general manager Sally Jackson said Hawke's Bay Toyota Winter Deco Weekend had been "absolutely fantastic. We're generally really excited across the board, and all the feedback has been very positive". "We've sold more tickets than ever before, and there have been more visitors from out of town."

This is the 13th year the event has been held since its inception in 2003.

Starting on Friday, visitors and residents alike wrapped up in coats and hats to enjoy events set among the region's Art Deco buildings - from dining while enjoying the sounds of Stephen Millar on piano at a Hawke's Bay Club event, to a brunch with MTG Hawke's Bay, or warming up with a Hot Toddy at the County Hotel.

This year, 97 per cent of tickets were sold, a "huge jump up" from the 84 per cent last year.

"It's growing a lot, and each year it just seems to build," Ms Jackson said.

A number of events, including the Movie Magic Dinner, and the Royal Flush Casino Night, had been sold out.

Harrison Keefe and Maddison Bowey, Encore Dancers from the Born to Move Dance studio, put their best foot forward during the Winter Deco Weekend Tea Dance Among the Art.

While some events always sold out very quickly, Ms Jackson said this year's new Red Hot Martini Club, held at the County Hotel, had sold out only weeks after going on sale.

"It's good to keep turning over events and making sure that there's always something new," she added.

It was also important to have events which attracted both older, and younger participants, which the Red Hot Martini Club had "hit the mark" with.