Waiho i te toipoto, kaua i te toiroa
Let us keep close together, not wide apart
Nuku: Story Sovereignty. Image; Katie Cox Photography
Through our Festivals we aim bring all corners of our community together and connect through shared artistic experiences. We were thrilled to see people from all over Tauranga Moana coming out to enjoy our varied programme of events. A huge thank you to all our audiences, patrons, sponsors, grant makers, and funders that supported our 2022 Escape Festival, without you, we could not have made this very special week of arts come together. Ngā mihi to all the artists and speakers that were part of this year’s Escape and for generously sharing your knowledge and work with our community. 
After the Tampa: From Aghanistan to New Zealand. Image; Katie Cox Photography
Our performers and speakers educated us, made us laugh, cry and motivated to make change. Our writers and panel talks discussed; creating access for tamariki, hopes for the future, the emotional journey of refugee parents leaving home, the trials of menopause, the importance of Indigenous wāhine occupying spaces and much, much more. 
Pīpī Paopao. Image; Katie Cox Photography
Zinefest brought us together to celebrate zines and the power of creativity. Poetry Slam made space for local poets to tell their stories. Our littlest audiences were charmed and delighted by the beauty of PīPī Paopao. The Artist had us in stiches of laughter. And of course, our young journalists from Mount Maunganui Primary impressed us with their honest reporting in the international premiere of News News News. For those of you that didn’t make the live performance, you can watch the broadcast here: 
News News News. Image; Katie Cox Photography
Feedback from our audience is critical so we can continue to grow and improve the Festival experience for everyone. If you attended this year’s Escape, we would really appreciate you taking the time to fill out the survey below. We promise we have tried to make it as simple and quick as possible!
Click here to access the Survey
Once again, thank you to everyone who made Escape possible.
We can’t wait to see you all again for our 2023 Arts Festival offering, save the dates now 19-29 October.
Arohanui, your festival team.
