Napier swings to 25-year Art Deco celebrations
12 Jul 2010
Bluewater Hotel Deco Decanted Weekend
16 - 18 July, 2010
Art Deco will come under the spotlight during the Bluewater Hotel Deco Decanted Weekend as the Art Deco Trust of Napier, in Hawke’s Bay, celebrates 25 years.
Visitors to Hawke’s Bay will have a choice of events including live jazz, a masque ball, wine tastings, fashion events, silent movie, fine dining and local wines, vintage cars, and a parade.
The Deco Decanted Weekend is an amusing way to see Napier’s heritage buildings and experience the Hawke’s Bay way of life. Those who really want to get into the mood are encouraged to dress up in twenties costumes.
Art Deco walk
To commemorate the Art Deco Trust’s 25th anniversary, members are planning a Silver Jubilee Walk on 18 July, starting at Memorial Square and ending at Veronica Sunbay.
The walk will commemorate the first Art Deco walk in 1985 which was organised by ‘The Art Deco Group’ that later became the ‘Art Deco Trust’.
The original Art Deco walk was held to mark the world première of the Newest City on the Globe, a 30-minute made-for-television film by New Zealand director Peter Wells. More than 200 people turned up for the midwinter walk, which was catered for by the town’s soup kitchen.
Heritage weekend
Art Deco lovers will be spoilt for choice during the Deco Decanted weekend, with a varied programme that caters to all age groups.
A great way to see Napier, known as the ‘Art Deco capital’ of New Zealand, is to take a guided walk through Napier’s world-famous historical Art Deco precinct.
‘Drinkies in Historic Places’ - a new event for 2010 - offers canapés and wine tasting along with a peek into restored Art Deco buildings.
Music fans will appreciate ‘Jazzamatazz’, a Mardi Gras-style celebration, as well as many local bands appearing in restaurants and bars throughout town.
For a history lesson with a fun twist, ‘Moonshine Monologue’ guides visitors through the prohibition period and brewing techniques for moonshine / illegal liquor of the 1930s.
Napier’s Art Deco history
The city of Napier, in the heart of the Hawke’s Bay wine region, is known as the ‘Art Deco capital’ of New Zealand.
A massive earthquake in 1931 and the fires that followed destroyed most of the town, but by the end of the decade, Napier had the newest city centre on the globe.
Today, the town centre is recognised as having one of the world’s largest collections of Art Deco buildings. Nowhere else in the southern hemisphere has such a concentration of buildings in the Art Deco style.
Art Deco was fashionable in the 1920s / 1930s, and the style is characterised by skyscraper shapes, sunbursts, fountains, and geometric shapes.
More information
Napier - New Zealand's Art Deco capital
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