We had two beautiful days for the Festival, lots of happy people enjoying entertaiment, food and stalls - a big thank you to everyone who came up to the Lake for the weekend and supported our community event!

18th/19th January.We are  busy up at the Lake preparing for the Festival . One of the things we're celebrating this year is the centenary of the first motor vehicle visiting the Lake. The local History Group with have a display of historic photos, together with visiting vintage cars and classic bikes. There will be lots of displays and workshops -  learn to make your own bread, cook rabbit or smoke a salmon. Find out about installing an off grid solar system in your home. Enjoy the atmosphere of the outdoor movie beside the Lake on Saturday night.You'll get the chance to meet local artists who will be painting by the Lake and maybe  buy yourself an original painting.With stalls showcasing local talent, plenty of food for your picnic, lots of activities and entertainment to keep everyone happy, this promises to be a great family weekend in one of the most beautiful places in New Zealand. Remember to bring sunhats, sunblock, insect repellant ,togs and money to buy yourself a treat or two (there is an ATM at the shop if you forget). We're looking forward to meeting you!

Only 9 sleeps to go! We are  busy up at the Lake preparing for the Festival - hope the weather stays like this(33 degrees here today!) .More than 40 great stalls showcasing local talent, plenty of food for your picnic, lots of activities and entertainment to keep everyone happy. Bring the family up   and enjoy a great day in one of the most beautiful place in New Zealand. Remember to bring sunhats, sunblock, insect repellant ,togs and money to buy yourself a treat or two (there is an ATM at the shop if you forget). We're looking forward to meeting you!

We are busy organising our second community festival at Nelson Lakes, after a very successful debut last January. 
Festival 2013 on February 16th/17th will feature a Waka Ama regatta on the Saturday and a lakeside market on the Sunday,which will be a fundraiser for our local volunteer emergency service and the Nelson Rescue helicopter. Both of these are very important to our community, as we are an hour's drive away from the hospital. The Festival will also be marking 170 years of European association with the area, and the local history group is busy planning activities to celebrate this. The market will be focusing on quality, handmade arts and crafts, many locally produced. We'd love to hear from artists,craftspeople and artisans who are interested in joining in. We have a number of stallholders registered already and if you'd like to know more please contact Jan Thomson janthomsonart@gmail.com.

Last updated 13:00 23/01/2012SharePrintText SizeHIGH HATS: 
Amba Payne, left, and Kat Selwood, of Nelson, celebrate in style at the Festival Nelson Lakes Madhatters' Dinner Party beside Lake Rotoiti on Saturday night.St Arnaud shone in all its glory at the weekend, drawing thousands to the inaugural Festival Nelson Lakes.

A non-stop programme all weekend saw crowds gather in the alpine sunshine for lakeside activities and a market on Saturday, then gather indoors yesterday for workshops and a community market as a weather change brought chilly squalls.

The festival was based at Kerr Bay on the shore of Lake Rotoiti, but made use of the wider area's natural features and scenic attractions.

A Madhatters' Dinner Party on Saturday night catered by Nelson chef Grant Dicker saw two Nelson women rise to the occasion.

Nelson hairstylist Amba Payne and Nelson preschool teacher Kat Selwood turned heads as they walked to the dinner party in elaborate hats and gowns.

Ms Selwood's family owns a bach at the lake, and they decided to turn the weekend outing into a glamorous occasion.

"We love to support local Nelson events. Anything that requires dressing up and going a bit mad, we're there," Ms Payne said.

It took her 10 hours to make her hat, made of dozens of tiny hats and hairpieces.

A highlight of the festival was a crowd of around 200 being lulled into relaxation beside the lake on Saturday night for music by Golden Bay duo Caitlin and Sika. The audience then wrapped up warmly and laughed out loud at an open-air film, the 1959 Danny Kaye and Louis Armstrong classic The Five Pennies.

Destination Nelson Lakes secretary Helen Campbell, who was part of the team organising the festival, said the aim was to showcase the best of what the lake had to offer.

"We're really, really happy with the way it went. People came especially, including from the North Island and from Christchurch, and we had the normal travellers passing through who had heard about it and stayed."

Ms Campbell said organisers estimated that between 2500 and 3000 people attended over the whole weekend. There had not yet been a chance for a formal debrief, but it was likely that the festival would be held again, although in a different format.

Among the various events visitors could take part in, archery lessons with Kikiwa couple Ed and Nicky Shaw proved popular.

Dovedale brothers Baxter, 7, Otto, 5, and Bruno, 3, Richards all made impressive attempts at the bullseye, with the older brothers saying archery was "great". Otto is now keen to try to shoot a hare.

Ad Feedback- © Fairfax NZ News