It starts today. Otago's biggest artistic and cultural showcase bursts into life, after two years of scouring the four corners of the Earth for the best artistic talent available.
As usual, the Otago Daily Times will be providing comprehensive coverage, with daily news, photographs and reviews from Elizabeth Bouman, Barbara Frame, Marian Poole, Kimberley Buchan and Nigel Zega.
And, as usual, it's an absolute smorgasbord. Dame Kiri, Helen Medlyn, Antal Szalai's Hungarian gypsy orchestra, Mike Nock, Michael Houstoun, Max Cryer, Gin Wigmore, red hot Argentinian tango troupe ladoCiego, plays The Butler, Le Sud, Heat and Shall We Gather at the River. . . it rolls on and on.
And there will be plenty of local talent on show, too, with Anthony Ritchie's Symphony No 3 world premiere, Opera Otago's L'Orfeo, Dunedin choreographer Daniel Belton's Line Dances film and Dunedin productions One Day, Backwards in High Heels and The Pitman Painters.
Ten days of music, theatre, comedy and dance.
The festival will have the ears of the country today, when Radio New Zealand broadcasts its "Upbeat" arts news programme live from the Octagon from noon to 1.30pm outside the Regent Theatre.
Presenter Eva Radich will host interviews and performances from some of this year's highlight acts.
"It's always a buzz to be in the middle of an event like this and to give our nationwide audience an experience of the quality of performers appearing at an international festival," Radich told me yesterday.
"We'll have speakers set up outside the Regent, so anyone in the area will be able to hear and enjoy."
This year's festival also marks the final curtain call for founding festival chairman Paul Dallimore and director Nicholas McBryde.
The Otago Festival of the Arts has become a vital part of Otago's cultural tapestry since it debuted in 2000 and the pair should look on their legacy with great satisfaction and pride.
As for me, I can't wait.
It will start with the Dhol Foundation at the Regent Theatre tonight, an act I've been looking forward to seeing ever since it was announced.
Afterwards, there should be time for a glass of red wine with jazz fusionistas Subject2Change at the Montana Festival Club on the top floor of the Dunedin Centre.
So, here we go again.
The roller-coaster begins.
Grab a seat and enjoy the ride.
