As Napier's Art Deco Festival returns for 2024, we look back at the history behind the city's 1930s revival and how this architectural style is now deeply intertwined with the community's identity...
Adversity can sometimes be a precursor of great things. In the case of Napier, on New Zealand's North Island, a phoenix-from-flames transition would never have occurred had it not been for natural disaster. When a devastating earthquake levelled the city in 1931, planners had the chance to rebuild its commercial centre from scratch. Presciently, they decided to do so in the architectural style of the day: Art Deco. Today, with 120-odd buildings in colourful, decorative Deco designs, Napier is the self-styled Art Deco Capital of the World.
Originating in France, Art Deco swept the globe in the 1920s and ‘30s. Most major cities feature a few Deco gems in their skylines and streetscapes, but it's the sheer density of Deco that makes Napier stand out. True, there may be more (800 or so) buildings in Miami Beach, that better-known Deco hotspot, but thanks to some peculiar quirks, Napier has an Art Deco heritage that's utterly its own.
As an architectural style, Art Deco was famously flexible and could readily be adapted to local tastes. In Miami, for example, this saw coastal references (such as pelicans, palms or ships’ portholes) incorporated into building designs, resulting in a 'Tropical Deco' vernacular. Napier took a similar approach – so as well as drawing inspiration from the classical world, designers here added Norfolk pines and Māori motifs to decorative façades, resulting in a unique style.
A classic motorcar rides outside the T&G Insurance Building (Alamy)
'A wave in time' is a bronze statue of Sheila Williams, the daughter of leading architect Ernest Williams in the rebuilding of Napier (Alamy)
Take a stroll around the town centre (or better still, join a guided tour) and you'll soon start to appreciate these details. From theatres to banks and a publishing house, the city's central buildings are alive with Māori elements such as kowli (leaf patterns), koru (ferns) and roru (spiral symbols). Elsewhere, you'll spot the more typical ziggurats, sunbursts, curves and geometric details that make Art Deco so enduringly admired.
Deco is so deeply intertwined with Napier’s identity that even the street signs are written in an Art Deco font. It's no surprise, then, that arguably the best time to visit is during the annual Napier Art Deco Festival, first launched in 1988 as a celebration of the city's resilience. Held in the third week of February (the same month that that fateful earthquake struck), the event offers a sense of time travelling, with locals dressing up in period attire to take Napier back to its heyday
Now returning for the first time since the pandemic, the festival is so popular that it sees Napier's population temporarily double. With this year’s event running from 15-18 February, visitors can expect a long summer weekend of classic films, fashion, cocktails, parades, vintage car rallies and jazz performances, all set in and against a glamorous Art Deco setting. And if you love all things Deco but don't like a crowd, then the boutique Winter Deco Weekend held each July might be more your speed. Then again, with its Hawke's Bay waterfront and such a one-of-a-kind sense of place, Napier is a genuine joy to visit all year round.
Take a self-guided walk of Napier (Alamy)
Following Napier’s Art Deco trail, make the Art Deco Trust your first port of call. Here you'll have the choice of picking up a booklet for self-guided walks or joining an immersive, 90-minute walking tour. There's even an option of going full ‘30s and doing the tour in a vintage motorcar. Finish at the gift shop: a treasure trove of Deco-inspired souvenirs
The Daily Telegraph Building in Napier (Alamy)
Central Napier feels almost like a 1930s movie set. Among its most marvellous landmarks are the symmetrical Daily Telegraph Building, copper-domed T&G Insurance Building and the undeniably splendid Masonic Hotel. Their façades all show the hallmarks of Napier’s unique take on Art Deco. For a glimpse at a Deco interior, pop into the ASB Bank to ogle its ornateness.
The Masonic Hotel is an Art Deco haven (Alamy)
Take an even deeper dive into Deco by heading for coffee, lunch or drinks at Masonic Hotel, whose sensitively refurbished public spaces are dressed in bold colours and fancy fabrics that reflect Art Deco's optimistic outlook. And if you feel like dressing for the occasion? Stop by first at must-visit vintage clothing store, Art Deco Me Up.
MTG Hawke's Bay (Alamy)
Learn more about Napier’s Art Deco heritage at the excellent MTG Hawke's Bay museum. Its Decorative and Applied Arts Collection is rich in historical household items in ceramic, porcelain and glass. Also don't miss its insights into traditional Māori culture and the local Ngati Kahungunu people, whose artefacts include elaborate capes made with kiwi feathers or woven from plant fibres.
Napier Art Deco Festival sees locals and visitors dress up in their best Art Deco attire (Alamy)
As well as exhibitions, scavenger hunts and special tours by foot, car or bus, the Art Deco Festival fills Napier’s streets with music and live entertainment. Stages set up on street corners bring quality, free-to-attend acts to the CBD. Elsewhere, the Speakeasy Dine & Dance, Prohibition Party and a Beers, Bars & Brothels experience help recreate the Deco era.
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