South D festival postponed for year

Cancelling this year's South Dunedin Street Festival will allow the people behind it to regroup after a "challenging year'', a spokesman says.

Craig Waterhouse
Craig Waterhouse

South Dunedin Business Association president Craig Waterhouse said difficult circumstances had left the committee "stretched a bit thin'' and so they had decided to cancel this year's festival to focus on next year's event.

"We wanted to do it well,'' he said.

"We are only now getting past the after-effects of last winter's floods, we lost our long-serving president Jane Orbell earlier this year, and our festival co-ordinator has also recently been unwell.''

The co-ordinator, Nick Orbell, was now recovering but was "stepping aside'' from the festival this year on medical advice, Mr Waterhouse said.

Mr Orbell would be back helping with the event next year, along with a committee - made up of South Dunedin Business Association representatives and a community committee, the South Dunedin Street Festival Steering Group.

Mr Waterhouse said he and Mr Orbell had walked around South Dunedin earlier in the week and received "a lot of support'' from local businesses, who, even though they were disappointed about the cancellation of this year's event, had offered to help with next year's.

Many stallholders had already registered for the festival and a full refund would be made.

GRETA.YEOMAN @thestar.co.nz

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