logo
Festival mixes spectacle of circus with time travel

Festival mixes spectacle of circus with time travel

PHOTO: ODT FILES
Oamaru's annual Steampunk Festival goes back in time this weekend, boosting the town's tourism appeal in the process.
SteampunkNZ Festival organising committee member Carolyn Lewis says this year's "Circus in Time" theme combines flamboyance and the spectacle of the circus with adventures in time.
"Time travel is an iconic Steampunk theme. The Victorian Era is a key time period for Steampunk fans, and the Victorians absolutely loved a circus — it was an accessible form of entertainment, with the sideshows and associated activities being hugely popular across all classes.
"Most of the tickets sold thus far for this year's festival have gone to out-of-towners, including a good chunk of North Island folk. We also have overseas visitors from Australia and the US."
The Heritage Precinct in Oamaru is a major factor in the success of the festival, she said.
The five-day festival began yesterday and continues over the King's Birthday weekend to Monday.
Tourism Waitaki consumer and trade marketing manager Jade Harvey says the town is generally booked out, with cafes busy and motels full.
"Accommodation is usually fully or almost booked out on Steampunk weekend with approximately 90% of attendees visiting from outside of Waitaki with the post-event survey showing that 80% stay for three nights or more.
"Although the festival is concentrated in Oamaru, the majority of attendees are from out of town and are choosing to stay for most, if not all, of the long weekend."
— APL
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Murder on stage in Mosgiel
Murder on stage in Mosgiel

Otago Daily Times

time2 days ago

  • Otago Daily Times

Murder on stage in Mosgiel

The Fire Station Theatre in Mosgiel will complete a trio of murder mystery spoofs by Peter Gordon with a production of Death by Fatal Murder, staged over the next two weekends. Directed by Alison Ayers and featuring Matt Brennan as Inspector Pratt, the play continues the chaotic story of the hapless detective as he struggles with another mystery. Pratt's record of crime detection at Bagshot House is not enviable. In his two previous visits the body count mounted disastrously as he looked on, helpless and hopeless. Now he's back and, as usual, chaos reigns supreme. The follow-up to Gordon's plays Murdered to Death, and Secondary Cause of Death, Death by Fatal Murder promises plenty of laughs. The show is staged from July 25-27, and August 1-3, with performances at 7pm, and 2pm Sunday matinees. — APL

Scheffler voices doubts
Scheffler voices doubts

Otago Daily Times

time5 days ago

  • Otago Daily Times

Scheffler voices doubts

Scottie Scheffler. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES One would imagine three-time major champion Scottie Scheffler would be desperate to continue American domination of the British Open and lift the Claret Jug for the first time this week at Royal Portrush. The 29-year-old is the bookmakers' favourite after a stunningly consistent season including winning the PGA Championship and during his pre-tournament press conference yesterday he spoke of his growing love for links golf. But when asked how long he celebrates his victories, an introspective Scheffler veered off into questioning what was even the point of being the best golfer in the world. "It feels like you work your whole life to celebrate winning a tournament for like a few minutes," he said. "It only lasts a few minutes, that kind of euphoric feeling." Scheffler has been world No1 for 112 consecutive weeks and has earned more than $US87 million ($NZ146.2 million) in prize money on the PGA Tour and says he loves living out his dreams. But he admits he has a daily wrestle for what it all means. "Is it great to be able to win tournaments and to accomplish the things I have in the game of golf? Yeah, it brings tears to my eyes just to think about. "That kind of sense of accomplishment is a pretty cool feeling. But at the end of the day, I'm not out here to inspire the next generation of golfers. I'm not out here to inspire someone to be the best player in the world because what's the point? This is not a fulfilling life. Scheffler has a 14-month-old son Bennett with his wife Meredith and said they remained more important than any golf accolades. • New Zealand No 1 Ryan Fox has been paired with 2022 US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick and 2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama. Fox, who has two PGA Tour wins this year, is playing in his 25th major tournament. Fellow Kiwi golfer Daniel Hillier will join former Masters champion Zach Johnson and Englishman Daniel Brown when the Open tees off tonight. - Reuters/APL

Coming up trips
Coming up trips

Otago Daily Times

time5 days ago

  • Otago Daily Times

Coming up trips

REPORT: APL / PHOTO: SUPPLIED AJ Hackett Bungy New Zealand expects to launch its new three-person swing — the first in the South Island — at the Kawarau Bridge, near Queenstown, in September. A steel structure the Kawarau Swing will sit on, under the viewing deck, was lifted into place last week. When it opens, the new tourism attraction will be adapted for single, tandem or three-person rides, swinging people up to 43m high across the Kawarau River before winching them back to the platform on the southern bank of the Kawarau Gorge.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store