Book your tickets now for the Kokomai Creative Festival, a biannual celebration of brilliant, edgy, local and global creativity from 10-19 October.

Wairarapa’s premier creativity, arts and cultural festival, Kokomai, returns in October with an exciting line-up. The 10-day long biannual festival includes events across the Wairarapa, from rural halls and churches to larger venues such as the Carterton Events Centre.

Since 2013, Kokomai Creative Festival has been bringing inspiring creative arts and entertainment to local communities in the Wairarapa.

The 2019 festival will differ slightly from previous years but still maintain an impressively diverse programme, says Jo Beetham, Wairarapa Arts Festival Trust chair.

“Kokomai is a bit more boutique this time around, and we are super excited about the line-up which is world-class with international, national and local artists and performers, providing exceptional live experiences.

“You can immerse yourself in music, theatre, dance, visual arts, film and literature – there is something for everyone.”

The festival would not be possible without generous support from a number of local organisations, Jo says. The Trust House Foundation and Eastern and Central Community Trust have each provided the grants of $30,000.

Headlining the international acts is American blues singer Greg Copeland. Influenced by artists such as James Brown and Wilson Pickett, Greg has his own unique style, based on blues with soul and funk elements. An accomplished songwriter, his latest album is Brown-eyed Handsome Man.

“When I sing I want you to feel my hurt, my pain, my happiness and my sadness. I want to ask for forgiveness if I did something wrong and forgive people if they have done me wrong. All these things I try to do with my music,“ says Greg.

Also on the play list are two performances of The Keys are in the Margarine (14, 16 October). Profound and enlightening, this is a unique form of verbatim or documentary theatre created from interviews with people with direct experience of dementia – caregivers, family members, doctors, and support workers.

Portraits in Motion is the magical and unique creation of Volker Gerling from Germany. A passionate creator of flipbooks and an intrepid traveller – since 2003 he has walked 4,000km, he invites people to visit his travelling “thumb-book cinema”. There are a limited number of tickets for this enchanting, unusual and profound show (19 October).

The festival is honoured to be able to open the doors of one of the Wairarapa’s most beautiful places – the Greek Orthodox Church in Paierau Road, Masterton. On 12 October, a limited number of tickets are available for tours of the richly decorated Byzantine-styled church; the tours include music by Stephan Schulz on Baroque wind instruments.

The New Zealand School of Dance returns to Kokomai Creative Festival with a diverse programme of classical ballet and contemporary dance. The repertoire will feature exciting highlights from timeless classics to strikingly powerful new work. (13 October, Carterton Events Centre).

Among the free performances, String Bean Puppets, a Wellington puppet company performs whimsical adventures for the whole family (19 October, Greytown) and professional violinist, contortionist, mime and dancer K.B.G. Purple/Kahurangi Bronsson-George combines all his many talents to great effect at Martinborough Square (19 October).

The festival includes the popular Readers & Writers Literary Festival and also Schools Festival, bringing magical shows and inspiring workshops to local school pupils and teachers.

For the full programme see www.kokomai.co.nz