The Tauranga arts community comes to the fore this month for the 10th biennial Tauranga Arts Festival from October 19-29.

The festival includes music, dance, theatre and visual arts, a readers and writers programme and a free family day on The Strand on October 21.

A dawn chorus will officially open the festival with more than 200 Tauranga school children and adult choirs singing a waiata by local composer Teraania Ormsby-Teki and performer Ria Hall.

‘Takiri Ko Te Ata' will be performed on the Tauranga waterfront at 7am on Wednesday, October 18.

Festival director Jo Bond says the Crystal Palace is making a return to the Tauranga waterfront for the festival and will host theatre and music performances, as well as the readers and writers programme.

Based on the 19th century Belgium designed Spiegeltent, the opulent wooden interior includes ornate mirrors etched with ferns, stained glass windows featuring New Zealand harakeke and paua set into the pillars.

The readers and writers programme includes author Vincent O'Malley talking about his new book ‘The Great War for New Zealand: Waikato 1800-2000' and a panel discussion called ‘Our Place to Stand' featuring six speakers talking about what it means to be a New Zealander. Both events are on Saturday, October 28.

Also rounding off the festival on October 28 will be Ria Hall performing her debut album ‘Rules of Engagement' at Baycourt's Addison Theatre, a work touching on the themes of love and war, revolution and change.

'Ria is really book-ending the festival because she will be opening it with the dawn chorus and performing one of the final shows of the festival,” says Jo.

The free family day on Saturday, October 21 will result in The Strand being closed off with food markets and entertainment from 10am-2pm, including pop-up theatre performances from 16th Ave Theatre and Tauranga Musical Theatre and a huge birthday cake.

The Incubator is also presenting the interactive Art Treasure Hunt, where people can hide their artworks in the CBD and post photographic clues on Facebook/Art.Treasure.Hunt for people to find them.

'We think this will be great fun for people to take part in. There will also be street performers and the dance mat will be activated for the day. The regional council is also bringing in a bus they are going to skin with a big drawing for people to colour in,” says Jo.

Also playing in the X Space at Baycourt from 12-1pm will be Basant Madhur and the Sagam School of Indian Music playing traditional and contemporary Indian music.

The festival includes plenty of child-friendly activities, including Capital E's Bloom Garden which consists of thousands of identical pink pieces that let children connect, construct and deconstruct 3D installations, and a schools' programme.

'There are plenty of free and low-cost activities so it is affordable for families,” says Jo.

And for those who can't get into town there will be also be a few bands playing at Totara Street in Mount Maunganui, a performance of ‘Miss Jean Batten' at Te Puke's Litt Park Theatre, and Miles Calder & The Rumours performing at the Waihi Beach Hotel.

For more information about the festival visit www.taurangafestival.co.nz