Huia Festival 2014

King Street - the hub of Masterton's burgeoning music scene, will be the location of a major live extravaganza on Labour Weekend as The Black Seeds, The Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra, King Ori Ori & the Masterons, Adam Page and Shapeshifter's DJ Sambora headline the town's inaugural Huia Festival.

Taking place on Saturday October 25 the event will see the entire street closed off to traffic and opened up to 2000 people for a feast of music and entertainment plus a wide array of food and beverages all served up in an area dedicated to al-fresco dining.

The brainchild of NZ musician Warren Maxwell (who will be performing with the Masterons) and his brother Alan - who is also bar manager of the town's hugely successful venue King Street Live - the festival takes its name from the Huia bird whose last known sighting was in Wairarapa before its extinction in the early 20th century.

"With this festival", says Warren Maxwell, "we hope to resurrect the beauty of the Huia and celebrate it's significance to the area but we also want to help uplift the CBD of Masterton and give locals and the many visitors from out of town who'll be coming along the opportunity to celebrate this beautiful corner of New Zealand. A lot of the bigger outdoor events seem to gravitate towards the vineyards of Martinborough and Masterton always seems to miss out. But all this is set to change with Huia and we believe this kind of street festival will have a appeal that will draw people in thanks to its eclectic line-up and Mardi Gras vibe.

Purchasers of TRANZIT tickets from Wellington will be emailed by Eventfinda and given specific en-route pick up and drop offs points and departure times. TRANZIT tickets only apply to G.A. tickets as the buses will depart immediately after festival close (10pm).

Wellington - $50 per person return (included in ticket price above)

Wellington Railway Station (Platform 9) - 1:15pm
Petone Railway Station (Eastern Side) - 1:30pm
Melling Railway Station - 1:40pm
Upper Hutt Railway Station - 1:55pm

Confirmation of your transport booking with Tranzit is required by Friday 25th October at 12pm by phoning 0800 471 227.