Be part of 25th Nelson Arts Festival’s Mask Parade & Carnivale on Friday 18 October

It’s just two weeks until Nelson’s biggest night of the year!

Sometimes we forget how very special the Mask Parade is, but there really is nothing else like it in New Zealand. 

Over the last 24 years, nearly every primary school in the region has been involved. 

This year, there are schools as well as community groups, dancers, performers, bagpipers, brass bands, drummers and stilt walkers. 

Leading the Parade are some of our newest Nelsonians – the Colombian community – who have promised to show off some of their traditional masks.

Of course, the Parade is always followed by the Carnivale, which this year will feature a silent disco with three DJs, NCMA Schola Musica and a cracking line-up of youth bands. Trafalgar Street will be closed for more performers and more space for everyone to dance the night away, fuelled by Nelson's best food trucks.

A major highlight for 2019’s Festival is Pic’s Piki Mai. 

Spectacular large-scale projections will light up the Cathedral and Church Steps every night, from dusk to late, making it the perfect free event for the whole wha-nau. 

Pic’s Piki Mai begins on the same night as the Mask Parade & Carnivale, and continues every night until Monday 28 October.