Taiari Wai River Festival

Taiari Wai is a music festival with a purpose — to engage the Otago community in the extraordinary freshwater ecosystems of the Taiari river, and in particular, its spectacular and internationally significant scroll plain.

The festival will feature local artists and vendors and will be held in the village of Pātearoa, on the site of the old local school.

Featuring:

TAHU AND THE TAKAHES
MAPLEWOOD STRING BAND
JO LITTLE AND JARED SMITH

The aim of the festival is to provide a focal point for the Māniatoto community to gather and to learn about and celebrate their river. It will also be a showcase for local music and biodiversity. Our goal is that over time, the festival will be an annual event that links communities up and down the Taiari river, from Dunedin to Paerau. Only by strengthening community, can we hope to tackle the ecological crises of our time.

This is the first year the festival will be held. Our goal is for it to become a regular event on the New Zealand music scene, and for it to grow into a boutique festival that attracts music lovers from around the world.

At the heart of the festival is community, nature and landscape. And of course, wai—the lifeblood of the Māniatoto