Art Deco - New Wine Bar and Old-School Prohibition Party

Napier, New Zealand, famous for the largest collection of Art Deco buildings in the Southern Hemisphere, now has a new occupant in the old National Tobacco Company building – The Urban Winery. Visit this iconic landmark to sample chardonnays by Tony Bish Wines. And if you don’t sample enough during the day, the winery’s cellar door becomes a wine bar three nights a week.

Speaking about Art Deco, Napier is hosting the Tremains Art Deco Festival from February 14 – 18, 2018. Celebrating the 30th anniversary of the festival, the city will welcome 40,000 people in full art-deco costume, with antique cars lining the streets. The festival brings the glamorous Gatsby era to life throughout the entire city and showcases the history, culture, music and the fashion of yesteryear. One popular event is the Depression Dinner, where participants dress down and put on 1930’s style tattered and torn clothes. Then they add a smidge of dirt to their faces and head out with a tin cup and spoon. Starting at the Marine Parade Soup Kitchen, the hungry souls pack up all of their cares and woes and trudge to Memorial Square – stopping for a “shakin’ the blues away, unhappy news away” dance party. At Tin Town, they get their main course – plain 30s depression era dishes – but we hear it is still delicious! The Prohibition Party is also a hot ticket – and because of its popularity, this year a second night has been added. A dark underground nightclub is created in a secret location. Ticket purchasers need to leave their cell number when purchasing tickets to be texted the location and door password prior to the event. Here, guests get a first-person experience with bootleg liquor, non-stop music and live entertainment – all topped off with the adrenalin rush of not knowing when the joint might be raided by the coppers! Visit: ArtDecoNapier for more information or tickets to a variety of events.

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