A treat for art lovers

By MEGAN SINGLETON

The Tauranga Arts Festival kicks off 10 days of dance, music, theatre and literary performances on October 30 at venues across the city.

The festival promises to be a rich cultural splash in the Bay of Plenty, with award-winning bands, international musicians, dancers and cultural groups, along with top New Zealand performers.

The programme covers the gamut of the arts, from comedy, classical music, and contemporary dance to cultural performances, saucy cabaret, jazz and soul and even a taste of culture for the children with Hairy Maclary's greatest hits.

Sell-out AK03 performers Deb Filler and David McPhail (aka Muldoon) are among the talent.

Festival director Roger King is excited to also have international guests, such as Volapuk from France, who bring an "innovative style of jazz", and Bill Ware from New York. "He has been hailed as one of the top-10 vibraphonists in the world," King says.

Day passes are being sold for literary events that include poetry readings, narratives and readings from award-winning authors and scriptwriters.

Viva food editor, Julie Biuso, is hosting a lunch and guests are advised to arrive hungry and ready to laugh as she entertains with her food and travel experiences.

Prices range from $10 to $40 for each event. But there's no excuse for not seeing the Four Riders, a free theatrical spectacular on stilts at the Bayfair Shopping Centre.

The Stalker Theatre Company from Australia will perform in the mall from Thursday, October 30 to Sunday, November 2. They promise to stretch your belief of what is possible on stilts as four half-human/half-horse characters run, gallop, dive, roll and tumble to music.

* Tickets from Ticketek (09) 307 5000

Tauranga Festival