The Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra brought the curtain down with a flourish at the Festival of Colour's finale performance in Wanaka last night.
The group of musicians put on a foot-stomping, toe-tapping show for the many festival patrons and audience members lucky enough to get a ticket to the packed Crystal Palace concert.
The "Ukes", as they have become affectionately titled, have played to sold-out venues at Glenorchy, Arrowtown and Luggate as part of their tour during the Southern Lakes Festival of Colour.
The band's repertoire of songs featured covers of many well-known New Zealand musicians, such as the Muttonbirds, Split Enz and Dave Dobbyn alongside international hits by artists as diverse as the White Stripes, Dolly Parton, David Bowie, Johnny Cash and Leonard Cohen.
The Ukes' blistering performance in Wanaka ended the final weekend of artistic, musical, political and cultural shows around the southern lakes.
Popular festival play Ship Songs ended with a well-received final show in Arrowtown, while classical music fans were treated to a virtuoso performance in Luggate last night from Michael Houstoun and Deidre Irons.
New Zealand Folk Music Tui award-winner Del Girl performed in the morning at the Crystal Palace in Wanaka, while art discussions and the final unveiling of the festival-commissioned Pouwhenua works took place yesterday afternoon.
On Saturday, the penultimate day of the Festival of Colour saw the streets of Lake Wanaka alive with street artists, stilt walkers, buskers and tango dancers.
Hundreds of people crowded into downtown Wanaka to enjoy the free entertainment, while further up the road, politics was the order of the day, with former prime minister Jim Bolger, followed by British High Commissioner George Fergusson, taking part in the Aspiring Conversations programme.
The warm, gravelly voice of LA Mitchell filled the Infinity Crystal Palace on Saturday night with a sparkling collection of seductive soul and jazz, much to the delight of the crowd which packed the venue.
Emerging singer Jess Chambers closed the Late Night Club programme accompanied by Justin Firefly Clarke whose acoustic guitar rhythms and Chambers' crystal voice provided a hypnotic blend.
