Ribble St Races The Ribble Street Races will be taking a break in 2021. Did you know that Island Bay has a history as a race track? These days we’ve swapped the ponies for trolleys and race them down Ribble Street – including ones made of Lego. Make a plan, get inventing, build yourself a cool racer then come and race the heck out of it. Building an entry for the local downhill trolley race makes a great school holiday project: all your trolley needs to enter is brakes and steering that operate independently, a seat and some stability. Start by having a look for materials in your shed or under the house, or visit the Second Treasures shop at the Tip/landfill. And if you fancy something a bit more cruisey - that you don’t have to sit in - and you’re a Lego fan, there’s a race for that too.

Blessing of the Boats Sunday 11 February, 2.00pm @ Island Bay Beach About The Event Unique to Island Bay, the Blessing of the Boats ceremony has been adopted in Island Bay by its Italian community since 1933. It always attracts large crowds to the coastline, who come to watch boats from all over Wellington line up to be blessed for safe carriage and bountiful catches. Each year, local and visiting Clergy venture out into the Bay to bless the fishing boats after they've made a trip around Tapu te Ranga Island. So many boats and so much activity really makes this something special to see. Blessing boats blessing of boats 1 Blessing of the Boats Blessing boats 1/4 Safety Notice Swimming, Kayaks & other water activities are not permitted in the beyond 20m of the shoreline between 2 & 3pm during this event.

< Back Rose Dohig Event Organiser Tēnā koe! I am one of the Coordinators at the Island Bay Community Centre. I love working in Island Bay with such an interesting, engaged and caring bunch of people. I feel very lucky to be part of the community here. Not to mention the high calibre of pies available in the area. When I’m not at the Community Centre, you are likely to find me at one of the local community gardens, tramping around the Tararuas, or biking along the south coast marvelling at the fact that sometimes I get to see dolphins on my commute to work.

From Avon Street to Shorland Park

News and Updates Notices Note on Cash added to FAQs page Busker Profiles have been added. Sunrise Yoga details confirmed (Sun 14th 7.30am on the Beach) A Safety Notice has been added to the Blessing of the Boats page. Not Happening This Year Ribble Street Races / Lego Races Tapu te Tanga Island Swim Teddy Bear's Picnic - the pages for these events (and the market registration form) have been removed from the website. Recently added / Updated Raft Race - see page Pilates - see page Yoga - to be confirmed Historical Society - see page Corrections The Blessing of the Boats will be at approx. 2pm on Sun 14th. This site incorrectly stated 3pm.

< Back Hanne Jøstensen Singer/Songwriter Hanne Jøstensen contracts on organisational change projects and has finally managed to carve out some time during the week to write more songs. Originally from Norway and the tiniest lighthouse-island, she feels right at home in Island Bay with its rough coastline, salty air and fishing boats. She is occasionally spotted driving the electric Thomas train that her partner Gavin built for their kids. A singer-songwriter, Hanne's on the Board of Trustees for Wellington Music Centre. You can listen to Hanne's music here: Spotify – Hanne Jøstensen https://hannejostensen.bandcamp.com/

Book a stall Registration for stalls at Day in the Bay is now CLOSED. We have filled most of our stall spaces and except for local community groups we cannot take any more registrations. Any questions or problems please contact the market coordinator by email at ibfmarkets@gmail.com A reminder that in the event of Day in the Bay being cancelled due to a Covid-19 lockdown level change we will refund any market fees which have already been paid. (1 Feb) The Market Coordinator is currently away, and will be back on Fri 5th. He will reply to any e-mails then. Looking forward to seeing you there!

About the origin of the festival The Island Bay Festival was started in the late 1980s by a small group of Island Bay residents who believed in bringing forth the hidden gems of talented, creative people living in Island Bay. They wanted to celebrate the great musicians, artists, poets, writers in Island Bay; and at the same time get the community together for some fun. What started as a small grass-roots weekend festival has grown over the years to a multi-day festival that’s also for wider Wellington. It’s a festival that we, as Island Bay-ers can be proud of! The original vision and purpose of the Festival was to showcase the best of Island Bay. There would be something for everyone in the festival programme. Any Island Bay person or group, who had an idea for an event could put it on, assisted by the festival team. Island Bay has a diverse array of talented people - writers, musicians, poets, historians, ballroom dancers, yogis, entrepreneurs, foodies, chefs, gardeners, etc. The Festival is an opportunity for us as a community to showcase our talents and connect with each other! And share this with the wider world! Come join us for some fun! The Island Bay Enhancement Trust The Island Bay Enhancement Trust was set up in 1994 to "enhance the beauty of Island Bay and the wellbeing of the land and people ... to enhance the cultural, artistic and social life of Island Bay". The Trust is the legal entity for organising the annual Island Bay Festival, and also has the opportunity to do more community development events throughout the year.

Island Bay Community Centre Community Gardening Volunteers Island Bay Community Centre Wednesday, 14 February 2024 9.30am - 11.00am Join us in the Community Centre garden for our weekly gardening session. It is an opportunity to get your hands in the earth, socialise, and help grow food for our community. All welcome, please feel free to pop by for as much or as little as you want! FREE Cos t

< Back Frances Samuel Poet Frances Samuel is the author of Sleeping on Horseback (VUP), and her second poetry collection, Museum , will be published in February 2022. She has lived with her family in Island Bay for almost 8 years and enjoys summer evenings at the beach, bumping into friends and neighbours and sharing impromptu fish and chips. Photo Credit: Ebony Lamb Photography