The fourth Dunedin Heritage Festival next month revolves around the city's historic architecture and the largest collection of Victorian and Edwardian buildings in New Zealand.
Festival director Chris Green said many Dunedin people were familiar with certain old buildings around town but seldom explored inside.
He said there was much history tied up in the buildings and stories that went to the very ''fabric'' of the city's culture.
For example, the Dunedin Railway Station was the main focal point of the city during the two World Wars, with soldiers leaving and arriving home there. It was the main transport link for the city for a long time.
Impressive buildings like St Paul's Cathedral are seldom explored by locals, even though it is open to the public and very popular with tourists.
''One of the lines we are using is to `take another look'. Essentially we want people to have a look at these buildings.
''We walk past them every day and drive past them every day and we don't really give them a second look.''
He was hoping people might even be able to walk up the spiral stairs to the stone balconies of St Paul's, overlooking the Octagon, but organisers still had to sort out if that was feasible.
The festival runs from April 25 to April 29, focusing on a different area each day and including a tour of the newly refurbished Dunedin Town Hall.
