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It can be difficult to keep up with the festivals and festival news that’s coming out of New Zealand. Get ahead of the crowds, get first dibs on important dates and make sure you’re not left without the vital information leading up to and during the event. As with anything, there will be conflicting reports, opinions, humor and even rumour stories about what is happening in New Zealand at any given time. That’s because the whole landscape of this country changes so frequently, sometimes in the span of mere weeks.

For instance, just prior to our article, there was word that a major festival was about to be launched in downtown Auckland. Although details have not been confirmed or announced officially, word has it that the event will take place in the soonest possible time. This is said to be the St Patrick’s Day celebrations. The date is most likely to fall on the Easter weekend. If the report is true, then the next major festival to be launched in Auckland for over a decade will be the St Patrick’s Day celebrations.

Then, just before publishing our article, another major festival news hit the headlines. It was announced that the first of the Trans Pacific Hotels to come to Cook Strait will be the Holiday Inn International Park Hotel in Napier. The hotel’s chief executive John Burns will join a gala dinner that will be hosted by the Prime Minister of New Zealand, John Key. The guest list has already been made available online, and celebrity guests include former Prime Minister John Major and his wife. Although we haven’t confirmed who will play in the musical contingent, there are a number of musical artists that have performed at the Holiday Inn in the past.

One more thing that has been reported in the media recently is the prospect of a big screen cinema being built at Bellmore Park in Auckland. It will be the largest one in the country. A ground-breaking event, it will also see the opening of the Bellmore Park Racecourse, which will be the first time for one of New Zealand’s premier horse racing courses to be located here. The main event, the Bellmore Park Grand Prix, is due to start in October.

Another festival news item that made its way into the news headlines is the announcement of the planned closure of the Te Anau Racecourse. Organised by the Government in the early 1990s, the racecourse has struggled financially over the years and has seen a number of major sponsors pull out in recent years. However, the decision to wind it down comes at a time when major improvements are needed on the site of the famed racecourse. The chief executive of Te Anau Tourism said that once the racecourse is closed, the area will immediately become an important regional economic and tourism hub.

Finally, one other major announcement made in the festival news is the impending launch of the Pacific Harbour Masterplan. It will see the re-facing of one of Auckland’s most popular thoroughfares. The improvements include more pedestrian space, upgraded bus routes, improved bike infrastructure, and the re-installation of three new ferry services. This should prove to be a boon to residents in the area looking forward to a more convenient and attractive central area.