Latest news with #SteampunkFestival
Otago Daily Times
21-06-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Steampunk Festival gets $10k boost to support growth
PHOTO: ODT FILES Promotion of Oamaru's Steampunk Festival has been given a $10,000 boost to bring in more people. Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment manager of investment management performance David Talbot said to receive funding, the funding was assessed against the likelihood of the event being able to attract more out-of-region visitors and additional multi-day visitors, as well as it being able to deliver economic impact for visitors in the host region. "The Steampunk Festival is going from strength to strength each year, bringing hundreds of visitors from outside the district for the long weekend," Tourism Waitaki general manager Philippa Agnew said. "Events such as the Steampunk Festival give the industry a boost during the quiet season." Funding, awarded to Tourism Waitaki, comes from the government's Regional Event Fund. "Investing in these events has a direct impact, with visitors spending money in local cafes, businesses and accommodation providers, driving economic activity in our communities," Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston said in a statement. "By growing regional tourism, our remote and rural communities can benefit from the economic opportunities it brings. "Events are excellent drawcards to get more visitors into our regions, particularly in quieter parts of the year for the tourism and hospitality sector. "New Zealand is open for business, and we encourage both Kiwis and international visitors alike to explore and enjoy what New Zealand has to offer." This year's festival, held over King's Birthday weekend sold a record 1723 tickets to paid events and attracted hundreds more who came to watch free community events.
Otago Daily Times
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Festival volunteers running out of steam
Goggle-festooned top hats, leather corsets and ray guns may have had their last hurrah in the steampunk capital of New Zealand. The volunteers behind Oamaru's five-day Steampunk NZ Festival say they are running out of steam and, without reinforcements, its 16th iteration this month could have been its last. Steampunk NZ Festival organising committee member Carolyn Lewis said the growing popularity of the festival was evident when talking to crowds in Oamaru's Victorian Precinct at the main parade event, held over King's Birthday Weekend, because many first-timers said they had already booked accommodation to come back as full participants next year. "I'm left thinking, we're going to need a bigger precinct. "We're looking at an event which, year-on-year, is getting bigger — 50% more ticket holders this time, not counting the extra people coming to watch, most of whom are from out of town — and a very small core group that actually makes it happen. "We're all getting old and broken. We're getting to that point when we have to sort of work out how it's sustainable going forward. "It's two very different things. We've got ticketed events which pay for everything else and then we've got free community events — and that's what costs us. "It's a big job in the setup and a situation where only people who can take two weeks off work beforehand can do it. "I don't think people realise how much is out-of-towners coming here, putting the money into the town on the backs of a very few local people who are doing hard yards." The event does not receive any outside funding from the government or the Waitaki District Council. The funding that is sometimes labelled for the Steampunk Festival is usually only for promotion, most recently a $10,000 government grant to Tourism Waitaki to promote it. "It doesn't help us at all," Ms Lewis said. "It's like inviting folks to dinner and expecting someone else to feed them." Festival chairwoman Lea Campbell said organising the event was getting more complex and tiring. "Because we do everything. "We do the admin, and the planning, and the making, and the doing, and the setting up, and we take the tickets, and some of us get up on stage as well, and then we pack down and we clean up afterwards. "We're now one week post-festival and we're still packing up and we ache. "I can't do next year the same way." The festival has also outgrown its storage and workshop underneath an Oamaru funeral home, and a permanent steampunk exhibition space is on the wish list. The festival's website now features a "come help" message for Oamaru residents.
Otago Daily Times
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Steampunkers converge for festival
Oamaru's annual Steampunk Festival goes back in time this weekend, boosting the town's tourism appeal in the process. Steampunk NZ Festival organising committee member Carolyn Lewis said this year's "Circus in Time" theme combined 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." Steampunkers Sir Gideon Steamcrank (Gearlord of the Twisting Spires) aka Carl Yates and James Brian said they were coming to Steampunk weekend with a group from Christchurch. "There is a French girl in our group and an Australian couple who were married in Steampunk and they have come over to be part of the festival for their honeymoon," Mr Brian said. He had been attending the Oamaru Steampunk festival for the past 15 years. Mr Brian had travelled to other Steampunk events around the world including in England, Germany and the Netherlands. He believed the Oamaru event was "world class". Mr Yates said he was a "newbie" attending the festival for the fourth time this year and he was excited for the upcoming event. "We look forward to meeting all the creative, imaginative and eccentric people at the festival," Mr Yates said. The Heritage Precinct in Oamaru was a major factor in the success of the festival, Ms Lewis said. The five-day festival began yesterday and will continue over the King's Birthday weekend to Monday. Tourism Waitaki consumer and trade marketing manager Jade Harvey said the town was 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."
Otago Daily Times
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
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
