St Bathans
Rhythm and Gold Festival
St Bathans, Central Otago
9th-10th January 2021
A Two-Day Multi Arts Festival
Family Activities, Craft Stalls, Art Demonstrations and Workshops
Set in St Bathans, Central Otago, against the backdrop of the stunning Blue Lake – with Summer weather, local community, music, food and drink, this two day event is an epic way to celebrate our heritage in the goodness of summer right in the depth of the warmer months.
Family fun is a priority.
Have fun on the waterslide, face painting, giant games, crafts and more in the dedicated kid zone.
Immerse yourself in the arts, join in on a guided tour and learn the fascinating history of stonemasonry with our own resident heritage stonemason.
Watch live demonstrations from NZ renowned artist Pauline Bellamy. Have a go at Mosaicing or you can even book a class at rug rag making!
If you ever wanted to learn how to find that elusive gold nugget, watch live gold panning demonstrations from World Gold Panning Champions!!
Consider planning your travels to one of New Zealand's hidden gems. Bring your bike, we are located right off the Central Otago Rail Trail.
Day 1
On Saturday there is an array of artist demonstrations in a wide range of experiences to enjoy.
Sign up for workshops or come and view exciting live artist demonstrations in multiple locations in the historic village of St Bathans.
Demonstrations covering printing techniques, stonemasonry, mosaic and rug rag making .
(Space are Limited- Bookings Essential)Gold Panning Demonstrations
Live Entertainment By:
Dj Benthamism- ROAR
Saelyn Guyton
Richie Waters
Billy Jack
Janie and Tim Shaw
Day 2
Join us for the Annual St Bathans Village Fete
Organised by the Cambrian- St Bathans Rural Women.
Enjoy a day out with over 50 stalls, food and entertainment
Children's Entertainment
Art Exhibitions
VISUAL ARTS
Dedicated curators have put together an arts programme, which encompasses performances, happenings and audio visual installations. Immerse yourself in the arts.
Across the entire Village there are wonders that will surprise and delight.
PERFORMING ARTS
Featuring an array of extraordinary talents, Rhythm and Gold is guaranteed to surprise and delight with shows, workshops, happenings, to view, experience and participate.
Music
Sweet, sweet music. The Rhythm and Gold team has selected local and NZ musicians from across Aotearoa. Always eclectic, always special.
The Rhythm & Gold festival, as its name suggests, attracts musicians that defy categorisation. Bands play funk, dark & dreamy rock, folk/pop, blues and all of the above, or any mixture you can imagine.
We have booked an appealing mix of talented, but little known, musicians and longtime festival favourites.
Live Entertainment will be provided throughout the day from 1.30 pm, The RHYTHM TIPI is the focal point of the festival, located in the picturesque Beer Garden of the Vulcan Hotel.
Bands perform here to showcase the massive variety of local music in a concert-style setting.
Saturday Night
Every moment at Rhythm and Gold is special, but Saturday night is when we really step it up. Prepare to be entertained with music from one of NZ's top emerging artists, DJ Benthamism, this audio visual set is guaranteed to delight!!
R18 Event - $30 +BF
DJ Benthamism
The goal of the event is to
Bring the history of St Bathans alive and to connect to its people, its heritage, its art and its culture.
Meet our Team of Creators
Entertainment
DJ Benthamism
We are privileged to have one of NZ's premium entertainers specialising in Funky Beats, Bass & Good Music, with it you will experience an audio visual display like no other!
Saelyn Guyton
Dive in and enjoy live music by New Zealand artist Saelyn Guyton.
Whether she is singing the blues or rapping rhymes, Saelyn's voice effortlessly flows from soulful to edgy. she is a confident performer in many genre, from blues to reggae, soul to jazz. She has won numerous awards including the Queenstown Jazz Festival Emerging Talent title.
Tim and Janie Shaw
Local Siblings Janie and Tim Shaw have grown up surrounded by this spectacular destination, they perform and make music together, a slightly edgy brand of folk/pop
Richie Waters
Hailing from the Deep South of New Zealand, Richie is the lead vocalist for the band Justin Funk Monkey. They have had a number of success's including the Southland Band of the Year title in 2006.
Support our Artists by clicking on their links below:
Workshops and Demonstrations
Pauline Bellamy
Pauline is a committed artist with over fifty years of experience. Her confident, prolific practice has seen her work shown around New Zealand and is held in numerous international collections.
Come watch Pauline at work while she demonstrated the art of printmaking in her St Bathans Gallery
Keith Hinds
Keith Hinds, a sought after Central Otago heritage stonemason.
Join Keith on a tour around the heritage stone work of St Bathans.
Keith will introduce you to the techniques of stone wall construction, lime pointing and mud pointing.
Alison Fitzgerald
Are you interested in giving mosaic art a try but just don't know where to start? Or do you already know the basics and want to up-skill and learn new techniques?
Our tutor Alison will guide you through the basics of mosaics
This is suitable for beginners, you are welcome to bring along any supplies you may wish to use.
Helen Brook
Helen will host a workshop where you will learn the simple and satisfying technique of turning old woollen garments and fabrics into a beautiful and useful future heirloom.
Step back in time and discover this heritage craft that developed out of necessity when fabric was a very precious commodity.
Helen is exhibiting her work at the Central Stories Museum Alexandra, from 7th Dec-8th Jan
Click here to view the exhibition
More Information including prices can be found by clicking here:
Bookings essential, please click the contact us button below to book
Demonstrations
Gold Panning Demonstration
New Zealand and World gold-panning champions Stu Ide and Otago Goldfield's Heritage Trust, Terry Davis will demonstrate their skill and showcase their gold panning skills and how to find that elusive gold nugget.
St Bathans Central Otago
St Bathans
Central Otago
Lose track of time in a quaint historic town that's barely changed since the gold rush days
St Bathans is an historical gold mining town located at the foot of the Hawkdun and Dunstan Ranges in Central Otago, New Zealand.
Established in 1863, St Bathans owes its origins to the mining era.
Visit the beautiful man made Blue Lake and discover the mining history of St Bathans.
Travel Time
1 1/2 hours from Queenstown
2 hours from Dunedin