'We're talking about a lot of light' - Nelson festival celebrates diverse community

Nelson's winter light festival Te Ramaroa returns this weekend, with dozens of magical light installations and performances lighting up the city.

Forty carefully curated installations are spread throughout Nelson's CBD, the Queens Gardens and various streets and laneways.

Event director Michaela Blackman said Te Ramaroa was a festival that "really punches above its weight" with people from all over the country pulling together to make it happen.

"It's a very different festival to previous years, we've got a lot of projection, we've got lasers, we've got kids who've done amazing things - really beautiful collaborations with some of our businesses in town and a real mixture of community art and big installations from some of our national artists."

The biennial event was first held 10 years ago, and more than 50,000 people attended the last festival in 2021.

"Every installation comes with hundreds of lights, so we're talking about a lot of light and a lot of people."

Blackman said the event was also a cultural showcase, a reflection of the Nelson region's diversity.

"We're really blessed in Nelson with the multi-cultural element of our city, we've got so many different cultures living here."

Delyana Sucittarini, who is originally from Indonesia, will be performing in the Sundara Light Dances at Te Ramaroa.

Sucittarini and her family moved to Nelson a year ago.

Soon after, she met Tanya Nock of Cultural Conversations - a community hub with a focus on bringing together the migrant and former refugee community with the arts.

Sucittarini has been dancing since she was a child and has travelled the world, performing with the support of the Indonesian government.

"Dancing is like an art form, a flow of energy and that's why I really love it."

As part of Cultural Conversations Sundara Light Dances, Sucittarini will move among light-infused fabrics, to music composed especially for the occasion.

"I really want to everyone to come to this event and get our vibrations, not only through the dancing but the energy and the love of all the people behind of this."

Nock said Cultural Conversations started almost three years ago at the Nelson Arts Festival.

"It came from a place myself where I would see talented people who seemed invisible or seemed others in our community, so it's to give everyone a sense of belonging."

Over 100 people from Cultural Conversations have been involved with Te Ramaroa.

Alongside the Sundara Light Dances illuminated textiles and South Asian dancers they have created a winter wonderland display in Morrison Square and and are hosting a dance-off on the community stage.

"Sundara means beautiful, so it's all about celebrating our beauty and our diversity."

Te Ramaroa, Nelson Light Festival is on from 30 June - 4 July.