Time flies when you are having fun.
The past week has flown by like a bird after a bee.
It just seems like yesterday that we were preparing for the arrival of the guests artists for the 2012 Otago Festival of the Arts.
Apart from celebrating what is important to us, the festival is a welcome mat to a new world for many of our overseas performers.
And that can bring its own challenges.
Brazilian dance troupe Bale Folclorico de Bahia suddenly realised yesterday that they needed their costumes ironed before their opening performance at the Regent Theatre last night.
No big deal, you might say. And normally, you would be quite right.
But, there are more than 500 pieces of costume in the Brazilians' colourful show.
Cue festival organisers running all over town gathering as many irons and steamers as they could beg or borrow.
"We had to create a sweatshop at the theatre to get all the ironing done," a still-panting festival production manager Anna Drakeford told me last night.
There is still plenty of fun to squeeze out of the 2012 festival, before it is packed away for another two years.
Artist Anneloes Douglas finishes her Work In Progress triptych at Mint Gallery this morning, before it is auctioned at the gallery at midday, with all profits going to the Dunedin School of Art Foundation.
The marionettes of Hatched have performances at 2pm and 6.30pm at the Fortune Theatre, the Spooky Men's Chorale gets all creepy on it at the King's and Queen's Performing Arts Centre and Chad family band H'sao serves African soul, gospel and rhythm and blues at St Paul's Cathedral at 4pm.
The brilliant Brazilians of Bale Folclorico de Bahia also perform Bahia of all Colours at the Regent for the final time tonight. Check to see if their costumes are ironed properly.
And don't forget one of this year's surprise hits, the free Fortune Theatre production Play, which takes a bow after the 5.30pm performance in the Standard Insurance building.
The final Late Night Festival Club act is the Carlos Navae Quartet at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery from 10pm.
The last day of the 2012 festival tomorrow brings Hatched at the Fortune Theatre and the Spooky Men's Chorale at the King's and Queen's Performing Arts Centre.
Then, tomorrow night, it is one of this year's festival highlights; Billy Bragg.
The first half will feature a tribute to Woody Guthrie and the second is a 20-year jukebox of Bragg hits.
We will review his concert in Monday's Otago Daily Times and have a festival wrap.
