Save the date and Escape!

We are so excited to share the news that our beloved little festival Escape! is back for 2020, albeit in a slightly sleeker form. However, the slimmed-down ‘pop-up’ that has risen from June’s cancelled event isn’t stinting on quality and we’ll have some exciting names and topics to share with you as planning progresses.

In the meantime, block out October 17 and 18 as the weekend to Escape! The programme will be accessible and tickets on sale from September 16.

The Festival board is delivering Escape! without major funding, choosing to take this risk in an uncertain climate as every board member firmly believes the arts are the heart and soul of community. Without writers, ideas and books how dull our lives would be!

Our ability to deliver top-quality festivals in Tauranga is dependent upon a solid financial base for long-term planning – and a key part of that is the support of Sponsors and Patrons. If you’ve thought about joining the Festival whānau but are unsure about what that entails, please email us and we'll be only too happy to walk you through it. There is also information here on the website on the Patrons page.

Let’s finish with a great read by Michalia Arathimos, the current Randell Cottage writer in residence, about a year (so far) of disasters, decision-making in emergencies, making it home to New Zealand before lockdown, and about ignorance, illness and kindness. The piece was commissioned by our friends at Verb Wellington.

Ngā manaakitanga,
Your Festival Team