Dai Henwood has been pencilled in as the comedy gala's headlining act. Photo / NZME
Dai Henwood has been pencilled in as the comedy gala's headlining act. Photo / NZME
A comedy gala and a series of arts evenings have been added to Whanganui's event calendar as part of a $387,000 boost to the city's entertainment sector.
Hello Comedy's Whanganui Comedy Gala next June has Seven Days star Dai Henwood pencilled in as its headline act, along with three other headline comedians and supported by local comedy talent.
The gala, hosted at the Royal Whanganui Opera House, will receive $6000 from Whanganui & Partners to go towards marketing, which Hello Comedy co-manager Dave Wiggins hoped would help build the Hello Comedy brand.
"Our focus is bringing people from outside the region to Whanganui for the gala so we can work towards hosting a three-day comedy festival in 2024," Wiggins said.
The second new event is "Monumental", a recurring art event modelled on the "Open Late" nights held at City Gallery Wellington, which secured just over $10,000 in funding.
The first Monumental event is planned for November and will combine art exhibitions, screenings, talks and music with local, national and international content at the Whanganui War Memorial Centre.
Monumental co-founder Murray Lazelle said the memorial building was iconic to Whanganui, and the events would give the public the opportunity to come together over art, music and discussion of whatever event was on.
"It's more than just going to an exhibition and leaving, it's a way to be more involved with the art and discuss it in a planned evening," Lazelle said.
Event fund manager Jonathan Sykes said Whanganui & Partners believed both events would be enthusiastically received as they had a good deal of thought and planning behind them.
Whanganui & Partners will also fund the popular Lanterns on the Awa and Puanga Kai Night events for the first time.
Lanterns on the Awa is a cross-cultural celebration including Chinese dance performances, music, martial arts performances and food. It also recognises the sister city status Whanganui holds with Lijiang, China.
Lanterns on the Awa manager Kai Lim said the $6000 in marketing funding received would lead to more awareness and therefore more people at the event. Last year's Lanterns on the Awa attracted more than 5000 people.
In 2021, Lanterns on the Awa attracted more than 5000 people. Photo / Bevan Conley
Puanga Kai Night is an evening of Māori food and entertainment in August. The annual event celebrates the Māori New Year and the star Puanga, which signals the new year in Whanganui.
For the first time since 2009, in January Whanganui will host the Colgate Games for young athletes, with the help of funding from Whanganui and Partners.
The games, expected to bring more than 1000 competitors to Whanganui, were originally to be hosted in Palmerston North but a music event was later confirmed for the same weekend.
"Whanganui & Partners quickly took the opportunity to work with Athletics New Zealand to bring the event here instead," Sykes said.
"For a city growing at the rate Whanganui is, it's important that we have a standard of event offerings to support the expectations of our community and to celebrate what we have to offer here.
"These events make a big difference to our accommodation and hospitality providers as visitor numbers are boosted."
Sykes said the agency would continue its funding of 10 existing events which were again successful in their applications.
They are Masters Games Whanganui, Artists Open Studios, Cooks Classic, Welcome to Nowhere festival, Whanganui Pride Week, Cemetery Circuit, Three Bridges Marathon, Heritage Month, Vintage Weekend and Hoop Nation.
"All the events are ones our community looks forward to and attract visitors to our city. They all add a distinct flavour to Whanganui and we know they boost our local businesses," Sykes said.
"Events play a crucial role in the city's national profile as a place full of creativity, excitement and opportunity."
Sykes said successful events would be able to attract visitors to the region and demonstrate an intent to progress towards self-sufficiency.
"In addition to the funding, Whanganui & Partners would contribute marketing skills, advice and feedback to help ensure the events would continue successfully in the following years," he said.
