Gold will be the central theme for a three-day celebration in 2011 to mark the 150th anniversary of the precious metal's discovery in Gabriels Gully, organisers of the event have confirmed.
Three days of theatre, music, exhibitions and tours will be staged in Gabriels Gully over Otago Anniversary weekend in March 2011.
Wayman Roughan, who chairs the 150th anniversary committee said the gathering would be a celebration of a nationally historic moment.
Gabriels Gully was the birthplace of New Zealand's gold resource in 1861.
Places like Lawrence and Dunedin were built on gold-rush proceeds.
The three-day party would celebrate gold as its key theme, he said.
Project manager Katy Macpherson said running an event in a remote area like Gabriels Gully had its challenges, but it was a wonderful setting for a weekend of activities and entertainment.
A draft programme has been collated with the gold theme running right through it.
Events include theatre work, music and entertainment, along with historical tours and exhibitions to give visitors an insight into what life was like in Lawrence in 1861.
The Otago Anniversary weekend celebrations, from March 18 to 21, will start an entire year of various events to celebrate the 150th anniversary.
