Great arts festival lineup but alcohol policy confusing
It must be a tough job to organise the annual Hamilton Gardens Arts Festival. Wrangling the talent, strongarming sponsors, allocating times and space and navigating relevant local bylaws would be a nightmare. The public have certain expectations based on their experience of past events. Betraying two decades of tradition is not an option.
This year’s programme, as ever, looks a delight. Opera tickets appear to be selling fast, the Shakespeare has a Pasifika flavour to it and popular music ranges from the middle brow stylings of The Warratahs to the hard rock of Devilskin and beyond. The Topp Twins, Witi Ihimaera and Ra¯ wiri Paratene are among the nationally significant names on show. Local actress and Creative Waikato CEO Sarah Nathan will channel Pauline Collins in a staging of Shirley Valentine. Comedy, stand-up and otherwise, is another strong point, with the Laugh Club featuring such noted wits as Jeremy Corbett and Melanie Bracewell, the Frickin Dangerous Bro trio improbably promising racial diversity and ‘‘superstar disc jockey’’ Juan Vesuvius offering a turntable-based history of House music.
Modesty does not entirely forbid mentioning the Pecha Kucha night on February 8, an event with which I confess an association. As in previous years, our speakers are drawn in part from other Gardens’ shows, including Benny Marama and Nick Wilkinson, the directors of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Shirley Valentine, respectively. Our most youthful participant will likewise be one to watch: Mathias A Taylor’s account of his pilgrimage to Europe to track down his favourite 1970s Italian filmmakers.
It is also pleasing to see the return of another old favourite, the New Zealand Painting and Print Making Award and Exhibition, always a stimulating and highly social event if you can swing yourself a ticket. It’s a shame the award ceremony will not be held on the opening night of the festival as in the past, and that the exhibition will be confined to a solitary weekend. All the more reason to prioritise going early.
Another criticism, reluctantly made, concerns the mixed signals being sent with regards the consumption of alcohol. Back in 2015 this was an issue, almost of farcical proportions, as organisers struggled to reconcile past practice with the wowserism of licensing officials and new legislation. Three years later, judging by the euphemistic pronouncements in the Festival FAQs, there is still something less than clarity.
On the one hand, we are told that the ‘‘Festival takes pride in being a relaxed family event’’. Is this code for prohibition? Well, not exactly. The next sentence declares a commitment to being ‘‘a BYO event where possible’’. What might the restrictions be on bringing one’s own? Instead of spelling these out, the buck is passed. We are referred to a website run by the Hamilton City Council. A city-wide liquor ban is alluded to. A ban suggests prohibition, a further contradiction, yet we are then told that there will be ‘‘BYO events and Non BYO events’’. Distinctions will be detailed on the festival website in ‘‘January 2018’’. I’m writing this on January 22 and cannot see such a post.
It is my understanding that some shows will be completely dry, meaning the public will not be permitted bring their own booze nor purchase on site. Some of these may well be ones where alcohol has been available in the past, where attendees might have reasonable expectations of drinking this year. It would be useful then if these loyal punters were informed ahead of time.
Many will see this as a non-issue. You do not need alcohol to enjoy one’s self and all of that. It is beyond argument that most human activities do not require artificial stimulants to maximise pleasure yet beer and wine are the natural complements of art and entertainment. I would go so far as to say that the experience is a lesser one without them. As someone who dabbles in public speaking, I know a wellwatered crowd is always happier and more interactive. Let us hope the comedy shows, at least, are held within a stone’s throw of a bar.
The change in festival alcohol policy is particularly dismaying given its clientele and history. The artistically inclined bourgeois of Hamilton and the greater Waikato have long demonstrated their capacity to hold their liquor. What a shame they cannot be trusted at least as much as the teenage revellers who befoul the south end of Victoria St on a weekly basis.