Festival 2026 Update

Well hello all!

What a busy last week it has been! The final organising for Festival 2026 is well underway. It is great to see that tickets are still being purchased - don't forget you can purchase tickets for your supporters to come along to the two evening events to support not only you, but all the other fantastic dancers!

The Friday and Saturday events will be in the Atrium and hall area, which is just inside the school gates, follow the balloons and streamers to find where you are heading. A map will be up on the MEDANZ website early this week for you to see where you are heading. Parking is available in the school carpark.

Angels: We still need angels, various ones throughout the festival, mainly to help cover the info desk, workshop angels, back stage angel, and chair angels. I think these are the main ones...

Workshops: OMG!! What a stella line up we have for you! I can't believe how wonderful they all are, and its soooooo hard to pick which ones to attend - don't you wish you could split yourself into 3 so you can attend all of them?.... A huge thank you to all the tutors who have put their hands up to teach, and especially to those who stepped into the gaps that appeared, the tutors support for Festival 2026 has been amazing! Don't forget, we have the magical warm ups each morning which Catherine Corcoran is taking. If you have been to her warm ups in the past, you know how sensational they are, if you haven't been to them, you have been missing out!!

https://www.medanz.org.nz/events/festival/programme/

Meet and Greet: Friday 24th April 6:30-8:30 pm We will have a round of bellydance bingo for you to have a go at, the prize is $20. All the correct entries will be put into a hat and the lucky one drawn out. This is a chance for you to chat to our wonderful dancers, as the answers for all the bingo squares will be at the meet and greet. This will also be a chance for you to grab your tickets, get a first look at the shopping at the hudra, as the vendors will be setting up too.

AGM: Saturday 25th April 1-2:30 pm Julie Duffy will be keeping this event under control, we will have a zoom meeting up and running too for those that are not able to attend Festival 2026 in person. A link for this meeting was sent to you on April 10th with your AGM Booklet - if you need us to resend this invitation, please email hello@medanz.org.nz.

Open Stage Night: Saturday 25th April 6:30-8:30 pm We will be starting at 6:30 pm sharp!
The reason, we have a jam packed night ahead! We need to be out by 9pm, and we have 18 stunning performances to get through, chairs away and out the door.

Tickets: https://www.medanz.org.nz/events/festival/open-stage/

Liz Irvine will be trying to keep us under control this evening - she will be our MC for the night, and what a fabulous MC she is!
Diane James has also followed up on many requests, and managed to secure a videographer for the evening - well done Diane!
Don't forget that Nina G Photography will be there also in the evening to take photos of the performers - just a reminder that you still have time to purchase your personal photo sessions on her website for just $30. These sessions are before the evening event. https://popinphoto.as.me/?appointmentType=90044388

The Sunday classes have a slight change of venue, we will be moved to some classrooms which will be shown on the school map, again follow the balloons and streamers to find your venues. The staff lunchroom is an area where we can relax throughout the day, and will have most of the vendors set up. This is also the venue for the evening event.

Cabaret Hafla: Sunday 26th April 6:30-8:30 pm We still have some slots available for dancing this evening, or we can use this time for everyone up and dancing! Liz Irvine will again be trying to herd cats, and keep us in order. We will have some snacks for you to enjoy and chat over, please feel free to bring your own tipple, or snacks of your own. We again have a fabulous line up of performers for this evening, so you will be fully entertained whilst catching up with your friends, a very enjoyable evening!

Tickets: https://www.medanz.org.nz/events/festival/hafla/

Vendors: I have been permitted to let you know that we have a huge variety of vendors, from Christine with her tribal silk skirts, Diane with her chocolates, Nina with her photography, Jeena with knitting and we also have J & S Henna Designs, henna artists. So don't forget to build some time into your programme so you can get some shopping done. Payments accepted by vendors are cash only, online banking or eftpos, so don't forget to have some cash on you, in case you spy something you like....

I'm sure there is something I have missed, so if its important for you to know, I will get the info to you ASAP via email and website update.

For those who have purchased tickets, I will send you an email to your inboxes with more specific details of where and when you can collect your tickets, and other information I think you need.

I'm getting so excited to see you all there, this is going to be fantastic!! A HUGE thank you to you all for supporting Festival 2026, it is because of your support that we are able to go ahead with this wonderful event! Don't forget to tell all your friends, so they can come along too! Membership to MEDANZ is free, and tickets for workshops and events are still available.

Regards, Jeena Monk Festival Co-Ordinator

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