Festival 14 is the biggest

Cambridge Autumn Festival organisers are promising more events than ever before and a Main Street Festival on St Patrick’s Day which will see Victoria Street festooned in green.

Chair Alana Mackay says the event, now into its 14^th year, is a must attend on the Waikato calendar.

It kicks off on March 15 and finishes nine days later.

Alana Mackay is distributing the Autumn Festival programme. Photo: Mary Anne Gill.

In between there are concerts, bands, children’s events, comedy, art and photo exhibitions, open studios art trail, hands on workshops, activities and literary competitions around the town.

Originally the vision was to provide an arts festival for Cambridge with an opportunity for the town’s talented artists to show their wares.

In recent years out of towners have also participated in the festival. Last year there were more than 200 entries in the writing competition with the majority from Auckland, followed by Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Wellington, Canterbury, Southland, Manawatu and Northland.

“The festival and the brand are pretty well established in people’s minds now,” said Mackay.

Two events in the iconic Cambridge Town Hall will highlight decades of activity captured by photographers Reg Buckingham, from the late 1960s to the early 1980s, and Michael Jeans who is celebrating 60 years as a visual chronicler in the town.

But it will be the Main Street Carnival and Autumn art market on St Patrick’s Day which will see Cambridge come alive.

“There’s so much vibe,” said Mackay. “Musicians, dancers and entertainers perform, the footpaths will be brimming with original art, photography, jewellery, pottery, sculpture, woodwork and much more. I can’t wait.”

• See: It’s Paddy’s Festival too