Te Anau’s fifth annual Tartan Festival is being held this Easter weekend starting on Friday (April 14) with a concert by Southland-based Celtic fusion band Pipeworkz.
The group, with members from Invercargill, Te Anau, Queenstown, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin, have put together a new show for the festival including a special Anzac tribute.
On Saturday (April 15) the highland games will be held on the Te Anau School grounds. Field events have been tailored to appeal to all age groups with a discounted family pass. Scottish clans will be represented, offering an insight into surnames and their origins, along with a range of other stalls including bubble soccer.
Entries in the highland dancing, solo bagpiping and solo drumming events have outnumbered last year’s totals, with competitors travelling from throughout Southland, Christchurch, Oamaru and Dunedin to take part.
The solo piping will be judged by the pipe sergeant of the New Zealand Police Pipe Band, Vaughan Wheeler, of Christchurch. The highland dancing judge is former Southlander Kelly Cox, of Tauranga. Drumming will be judged by Lyall Sutherland, of Winton.
The festival winds up with a Highland Hoedown at the Te Anau Club, with Little Green Men set to entertain. People are also encouraged to bring their own instruments and dancing shoes to join in throughout the night.