The Southern Lakes Arts Festival Trust, home of the Wānaka Festival Of Colour and Aspiring Conversations, is facing a serious financial challenge, according to festival director Sophie Kelly.

Sophie told audiences at the weekend’s Aspiring Conversations (April 4-7) that it was no secret we are in “challenging times” and these are affecting the festival.

“As a festival and speaking on behalf of many arts organisations around the country, this time at the moment is looking quite scary for us all,” she said. 

The two festivals, fixtures in the Wānaka autumn for more than a decade, not only bring the arts and topical speakers here, they also attract hundreds of people and provide a boost to the local economy.

The festival’s Crystal Palace. PHOTO: Antony Hansen

Sophie said local body and central government funding will be depleted and the festival is ever more reliant on contributions from donors.

“We're actually in quite a serious position at the moment with the festival where… we actually need to really hunker in now for the next three months and try and rebuild our reserves.”

Two Aspiring Conversations festivals have been cancelled in recent years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and Sophie said there had been “a huge increase in costs” for the last Festival of Colour (held in 2023).  

Sophie said the festival team was hoping to deliver another festival but said they were “digging deep at the moment”.

“We've just decided to put that right out there in the open. And to ask people who, if you're not already contributing, please do consider supporting us if you want these kinds of wonderful events to continue.

“These experiences [and] conversations are so important in the community, especially with the way of the world at the moment,” she said.

Sophie thanked current donors for their ongoing support.

Support the Festival of Colour here.