Festival filled with surprise and discovery

The programme for the Erupt Lake Taupo Festival has been revealed.

The 11-day festival, which lifts off on May 10 and continues through to May 20, will feature Degustation Delights with Simon Gaul and The Winemaker and The Cheesemaker, theatre performances from Guru of Chai, The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik, Beautiful Losers, The Second Test and Naked Samoans Go Home.

Musical acts are varied and will include Tom Rodwell and Storehouse, Cub Club Jams, The Yoots, The Nukes, AK Barok, Josephine and the Alcyone Systems, Nga Tae, Adam Page, Bobbito Brazuka and The Bellbirds.

Workshops will include Lauren Lysaght, Nga Tae and Lantern Making (released into Lake Taupo on the final night).

The Erupt to Light theme is evident throughout and free events are certain to spark curiosity and bring an element of surprise and discovery to the festival.

Festival director Amanda Wright said she had brought together a programme that would appeal to everyone: the discerning theatre- goer, families, young and older audiences.

‘‘The festival is fresh. It has a strong entertainment element together with emotional depth. Laughter and tears, funny as well as deeply moving,’’ she said. ‘‘I’ve taken a different approach to programming Erupt. Even though I’ve followed the standard formula of theatre, dance, music . . . It has a different flavour – it’s very accessible.’’

The festival focuses on Taupo’s Great Lake Centre but alongside are specially constructed festival venues – the Crater Room and Cube Club.

Once the sun goes down the GLC will erupt to light with a video projection mapped to its architecture and a kilometre long path lit with more than 20 different light installations promises to delight.

The full programme is on www.eruptfestival.co.nz from March 23 with ticket sales available from Ticketek from March 26.