In a teaser of what is to come, 130 red balloons appeared outside the Waitaki District Council's headquarters in front of the World War 1 monument yesterday.
The balloons, most of which survived a strong southerly wind, were the idea of opera house director Richard McWha, who had them in place from about 3am.
Tags on the balloons pointed to the "Ooh Oamaru!" website, which becomes active this morning.
Those visiting the website from 9am today will be directed to the opera house website, where the programme for the opening is set out.
Supporters of the opera house redevelopment already have many of the details of the 10-day programme through their newsletter.
Mr McWha said the balloons were "a fun way" to draw attention to the opera house redevelopment and the opening programme.
They were removed about 5pm.
The OOH Festival begins on Friday, February 20, with a blessing of the 101-year-old building.
The programme includes daily showings of a 30-minute history of the Opera House, street entertainment, a banquet, church services, tours, a children's party, a high tea, a community debate, the presentation of the annual North Otago sports awards, a lecture series, a book launch, a celebrity dinner, plays and performances.
One of the final events is Last Night at the Proms.
