Swinging through the Art Deco Festival in Napier, New Zealand

One can be quickly overwhelmed when looking at all the offerings of the Art Deco Festival schedule for their yearly February event in Napier, New Zealand. This festival brings in tourists from all over the country (and in our case, beyond), and truly has something for everyone! While we wish we had booked in time to get our kids in a street-tour of the earthquake history, we ended up instead just enjoying the free entertainment offered throughout town. On our way to enjoy the Parade of Cars in downtown, we first stopped at the air field where they were showcasing vintage planes and preparing others for takeoff.

We then headed downtown in anticipation of the parade, and found ourselves on the beach to enjoy some lunch and take in some brief rays.

On the beach they had parked a vintage firetruck, complete with firefighters all suited up and happy to take photos with our kids!

To our surprise, as we were enjoying the beach and a yummy Asian takeaway, we were surprised at the sudden arrival of some airplanes that gifted us with a great airshow!

Next arrived a parade of Marines and the marching band:

Perhaps one of the best parts of the Art Deco Festival is simply enjoying the Eye-Candy of everyone dressed up in their vintage clothing–spectators, performers, everyone! You have to admit…the the 1930’s featured some spectacular styles, and it seemed like we were the odd-ones-out without our own Vintage apparel! If I were returning…I’d be tempted to join in the dress-up fun! 🙂

We enjoyed some wonderful 1920’s/1930’s period dance performances by a local dance troupe from Hawkes Bay:

And we even attended the award’s ceremony at the outdoor amphitheater. It made me wonder what kind of entertainment was enjoyed here, back-in-the day!

While the Marine Parade was packed with people, we found the other sides streets were much more manageable.

Parking was a bit tricky, and it required some walking to reach the main area. Parking spaces were so highly sought after that we witnessed a driver literally drive into a woman who was trying to block an open parking space as she directed her husband on her cell phone. Crazy peeps!!

My name is Alisa, and I love traveling the world with my adventurous husband and rambunctious 5 small children. I am passionate about gorgeous scenery, meeting new people, and I’m a certified salad nut. Most of all, I love making memories with my family, and I enjoy sharing our travels with others!