page_title: Island Bay, New Zealand
section_title: Island Bay Festival
hierarchical_section_title: Island Bay, New Zealand / Island Bay Festival
caption_attribution_description: English: Shorland Park band rotunda during the 2012 Island Bay Festival in Island Bay, Wellington, New Zealand
context_page_description: Island Bay is a coastal suburb of Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, situated 5 km south of the city centre.
  Island Bay lies on the bay which shares its name, one of numerous small bays off Cook Strait and west of Lyall Bay. 500m offshore in Island Bay lies Tapu Te Ranga Island, which forms a natural breakwater and provides a sheltered anchorage for local fishing boats.
  Noted current Island Bay residents include Minister of Justice Andrew Little MP, and Celia Wade-Brown, former Mayor of Wellington. Former residents include Bruce Stewart, writer and dramatist at Tapu Te Ranga Marae; Middlesbrough F.C. and All Whites striker Chris Killen; artist John Drawbridge; poet Alan Brunton; writer Robin Hyde; and, in the late 19th century, The Hermit of Island Bay.
context_section_description: The annual Island Bay Festival takes place over eight days each February. It include:
  The Blessing of the Boats. The Blessing of the Boats is a southern Italian tradition where boats are decorated with flags and blessed by a priest to protect the crew from the sea and to bring good fortune. The ceremony has been adopted in Island Bay since 1933, when the fishing boat Santina foundered in Cook Strait, with the loss of four crew including three Italians. A chair was unveiled on 13 February 2011, during the Island Bay Festival for the crew of the Santina, presented by friends and family of the four casualties.
  The Ribble Street Races: A Soapbox derby down the steep Ribble Street attracts budding racecar drivers with Junior, Intermediate, Senior and Expert categories, the latter often reaching 65 km/h.
  The Island Bay Raft Race: The inaugural raft race was in 2020, with DIY rafts and family teams paddling parallel to the beach, the Lyall Bay Surf club provided support and rescue services on the day.
  The swim to/from the Island: Participants are ferried by boat to the Island, and swim the few hundred metres back to shore, a 'there and back' race is held also.
  The Festival Parade: Proceeding down The Parade to Shorland Park, the Festival Parade features a colourful 'dressing of the bicycles' competition.
  The Teddy Bears Picnic: On the final Sunday of the festival the younger members of the community bring their Teddy Bears for a special picnic in Shorland Park.
caption: Shorland Park band rotunda during the 2012 Island Bay Festival
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