Summer Arts Festival

Whakatane's Summer Arts Festival has been an Anniversary Weekend highlight for over twenty years.

What began as a single-event art exhibition has grown into an extended season of the arts launched each year on the last weekend of January and running through to April.

The Molly Morpeth Canaday Art Award for painting and drawing is a major focus, supported by a variety of other visual and performing arts. The art award attracts entrants from all over New Zealand and many of the country's well-known artists are past winners, including Whakatane's Rosi Demant.

A multimedia exhibition, involving guest artists from throughout the country, fills the Whakatane War Memorial Complex with art and craft ranging from ceramics to sculpture, jewellery to woodturning and origami to patchwork. Most of the exhibited work is for sale and provides an excellent opportunity for local people to acquire works from nationally renowned artists.  The gala opening and awards night always makes for an evening arts feast for the art connoisseur.

Two other popular, longstanding Summer Arts events include Jazz in the Park at the Whakatane Rose Gardens and Shakespeare in the Park at the River Bank Amphitheatre which are generally held in February and March.

The Molly Morpeth Canaday Art Award and Summer Arts Festival are organised by the Whakatane District Community Arts Council.

Highlights

• Stone Carving Symposium 17th - 26th January
• Molly Morpeth Canaday and Summer Arts Festival - Gala opening Friday 23rd January.  Exhibition runs over the weekend 24th - 26th January
• Shakespeare in the Park - Saturday 31st January 
• Jazz in the Park - Saturday 14th February
• Full Programme
•  (requires Acrobat)