Winter Deco celebrations hailed as a success for winter tourism

Gee Lyon, from Auckland, watching Fashion Flaunt fashion competition, at the Winter Deco festival. Photo /Duncan Brown

Napier's Winter Deco Weekend wrapped up on Sunday, after pulling in big crowds and plenty of visitors from Auckland.

It is the 15th year Winter Deco Weekend has been held, since its introduction in 2003 and festival director Glen Pickering said the festival had provided an "amazing" three days for visitors and locals alike.

"Weather played its part, which is brilliant and everyone had a great time.

"Winter Deco actually attracts quite a lot of out-of-towners. They love the winter festival because it's intimate and they get to see people they know from both Hawke's Bay and around the country. So it's a great way for that community to get together and have a wonderful time."

Final numbers were still being finalised but Pickering estimated about 1200 people took part in the festival, which started on Friday.

Ticket sales for a wide-range of events had been "wonderful" with a number of events sold out ahead of time.

The festival, organised by the Art Deco Trust, offered a varied programme of events across three days, with dinners, brunches, heritage talks and plenty of cocktails and champagne to celebrate Napier's Art Deco history in a more intimate experience that the larger summer festival.

This year, there were more than 20 separate events over the three days, including several free events, all of which wrapped up last night with a musical "evening with Gershwin".

Pickering added that the public free events were particularly well attended.

"The vintage car rides that were happening were swamped, so it was great.

"The winter festival is just great for Hawke's Bay during the winter-time, so bring on 2019."