Don’t just watch – join in! That’s a key theme of this year’s South Dunedin Street Festival, which has a programme humming with local arts and culture.
The South Dunedin Street Festival Coordinator, Brendan Brown, says the first festival in 2012 celebrated the diversity and vibrancy of the community. After the local 2015 floods, the aspect of resiliency was added.
“This year there’s all that plus a real focus on participation,” Brendan says, “so people come along and participate and hopefully join one of the groups taking part in the festival. It all strengthens connections within the community.”
From 10am – 3pm, Saturday 1 April, practitioners will mostly present themselves via interactive stalls or on one of three stages on King Edward Street, as well as within some off-street or indoor spaces, e.g.: Weir’s Furniture car park, The Armitage and in the South Dunedin Community Hall.
The stages have respective specialties: acoustic music, non-acoustic music and a dance stage. Added to this will be ‘pop up’ performances on the streets, such as the O-Taiko Drumming Ensemble.
At the time of writing, dancers, musicians, artists, crafts people, community groups and other stall holders were still being added to the programme, but here’s a taster of the depth of variety you’ll discover on the day:
● Dunedin Workers Educational Association (WEA), offering painting and drawing opportunities
● An Artisans Alley will include blacksmithing using a portable forge (demonstration only)
● Rerea Creations, a whakairo rākau (wood carving) practitioner
● Studio2, on Cargill’s Corner, will open its space so people can see the artwork created there, primarily by people with disabilities
● Dunedin Creative Fibres stall will house spinning and weaving demonstrations
● Skillsec, a re-training organisation, is planning interactive wood crafting sessions
● Otago Miniature Tacticians Society will share its skills, e.g., crafting and painting figurines and fortifications to take home with you.
● Dunedin Senior Chinese Association Dance Group
● Natyaloka School of Indian Dance
● The Khamzin Belly Dance group