The Friends Festival Guide to Wellington

This booklet was printed as a guide for visitors to Wellington attending the inaugural NZ International Festival of the Arts in 1986. The success of this event cemented its place in Wellington's calendar as a biennial festival , later renamed the New Zealand Festival of the Arts. The bulk of the guide is made up of listings of local restaurants and boutique stores and these now provide a valuable source of historic information as only a small handful of these businesses remain operating today. The period in which this booklet was printed coincided with a booming local economy and this was reflected with a vibrant period of growth in Wellington's hospitality and retail sectors. However, the following year saw the 1987 'Black Monday' share market crash and many of the businesses listed in this guide were forced to close soon after as the local economy stagnated and discretional spending plunged. 

The cartoons of the Duke of Wellington which are scattered throughout the guide were drawn by the artist Melvin 'Pat' Day (1923 - 2016). These are likely to be referencing Tony Catford (1947 - 2014) who adopted the moniker and period-dress of Arthur Wellesley and became an eccentric  'ambassador' of Wellington in a manner similar to the Wizard of Christchurch who was said to have been the inspiration for him. 

As the Friends of the NZ International Festival of the Arts no longer exist as a trust or incorporated society, our attempts to clear copyright for this item have been unsuccessful. However, we hope that any claimants understand that this booklet has been digitised for historic purposes and no monetary gain has been sought. Please contact us if you know any of the committee members of the 'Friends' who may be able to formalise copyright clearance.