Three-month spring festival aims to attract

A new festival aiming to bring more visitors to the Coromandel is calling on local creatives to come on board.
The Coromandel Artbeat Spring Festival is an umbrella festival promoting arts events, workshops, exhibitions, and performances happening across the Hauraki-Coromandel between September and December this year.
The programme already includes the Colville Festival, Steampunk The Thames, the Whangamatā Arts Collective’s ‘Art After Dark’ exhibition, the Thames Heritage Festival and the Coromandel Open Studio Arts Tour.
“With the Coromandel Artbeat Spring Festival we want to create, connect and celebrate the creative people in our communities,” Creative Coromandel – He Mana Toi Moehau chairperson Fiona Cameron said.
“By creating this ‘umbrella festival’ – a one stop shop for arts events in the region – we’re making it easy for anyone, anywhere to plan a day, weekend, week or all three months exploring the Coromandel Peninsula and Hauraki rohe.”
The Coromandel Artbeat Spring Festival is led by Creative Coromandel, a charitable trust that champions the area’s arts, artists and creative industries.
Fiona said she hopes the festival will help strengthen and reinvigorate businesses and communities after Covid-19 and severe weather events impacted the area both economically and socially.
Creative Coromandel recognised that art was at the heart of many communities around the peninsula, she said.
“That’s why this festival celebrates the ‘artbeat’ of our people.”
Thames-Coromandel District Mayor Len Salt has also come on board with the springtime festival, and said he was “delighted” by the initiative.
“There are so many talented, creative people in our district, and bringing events and
activities associated with the arts together under this umbrella will make it easier for people to build the arts into their visit to the Coromandel.”
Festival organisers are now calling on local creatives to get in touch with information about any events planned over the festival period.
DETAILS: If you have an event you would like promoted for free as part of the festival email info@creativecoromandel.co.nz