Te Ramaroa (A Beacon of Light)

Te Ramaroa is a Charitable Trust established in 2013, formed by a collection of leading Nelson artists and business people who shared a common vision. In 2019 the festival had a name change to Te Ramaroa, representing a beacon that honours the past, celebrates the present and shines a light on a bright future – a fitting name for the joy and light our festival brings to the city. Te Ramaroa is run a small group of paid professionals, and hundreds of passionate volunteers – including the Board of Trustees. The cost to run the event over its two-year cycle is $400,000.

Our mission

• To deliver a free, immersive, light festival in Nelson City, so that everyone can access light art, and community celebration.

• To create a physical event that removes barriers and encourages connection in an increasingly virtual world.

• To support local artists and technicians, igniting creativity and boosting economic activity.

Achievements

A free, immersive biennial light festival that transforms Nelson into a vibrant canvas of illuminated art over five mid-winter nights. In 2023, over 50,000 visitors from near and far explored captivating installations and artworks around the central city. We are the most popular free public event in Nelson. The festival brings people into the centre of Nelson creates a unique mid-winter vibrancy. We strengthen our community with growing cultural diversity and participation and strong collaboration with Tangata Whenua

We bring economic benefit to the region with a total expenditure increased by $1.5m