Crowds gathered at Baycourt last night to celebrate the launch of this year's Tauranga Arts Festival.

On from October 24 to November 3 the festival is 10 days and nights of 'arts adventure” that organisers say will pull people to the Bay for the long Labour Weekend.

Festival director Jo Bond launches the festival at Baycourt.

The 10 day festival will profile a range of talents including music, theatre, dance, circus and visual arts with more than 80 performances.

Festival Director Jo Bond has programmed a festival that will appeal to everyone.

'Tauranga is a growing city and as the population shifts there is a growing demand for quality arts programming – a sign of a city that appreciates that live storytelling is the backbone, and the heart, of any and every community.”

'There is something for every person and every interest in this festival: theatre, music, visual arts, dance, the biggest readers and writers programme ever, circus and an action-packed big yellow community arts day.

TV3 Pacific Crystal Palace returns Tauranga waterfront hub, The Strand, opening with Knee Deep – an electrifying circus experience from Australia's hottest new circus company, Casus. Other highlights including Silo Theatre's stunning Words & Music of Jacques Brel, featuring New Zealand music icons Jon Toogood, Jennifer Ward-Lealand, Tama Waipara and Julia Deans.

Theatre highlights include The Brave (Massive Company), in which the confessions of eight young men reveal what it means to be brave in New Zealand today.

Further highlights include Rewena the award-winning play about a national treasure, I, George Nepia (Tawata).

A sensational new installation by Gregor Kregar will fill the atrium of the Tauranga Art Gallery. Foucault's Pendulum is a suspended installation made from aluminium combined with recycled neon lights is named after the French physicist Léon Foucault who, in 1851, designed an experimental device to demonstrate the rotation of Earth.

Organisers say dance lovers will be delighted with the Festival of Russian Ballet - a treasure-trove of the best-loved ballets, enough to satisfy the most ardent fan.

Java Dance Company are bringing the dance magic on a bus ride like never before with their show Back of the Bus. The audience hop onboard a bus and are taken through the streets of Tauranga – an intimate, rewarding and intriguing dance show for all.

Writers, publishers, presenters, and writers fill the TV3 Pacific Crystal Palace from Thursday 31 October – Sunday 3 November. Author of hit romantic comedy of 2013 The Rosie Project, Graeme Simsion joins Julie Thomas (The Keeper of Secrets) and Chair, Lynn Freeman to talk about the pursuit of happiness, debut novels, movie rights and more.

Over the course of four inspiring days New Zealand's literary landscape is traversed in Tauranga Arts Festival's largest literary programme ever.

Three sessions per day delve into the remarkable minds and worlds of our top fiction and non-fiction authors: Elizabeth Knox, Steve Braunias, Michael Corballis, Paul Moon, Stephanie Johnson, Tanya Moir, Rob Mundle, Bill Manhire, Sherryl Jordan and Sir Lloyd Geering.

Music lovers have a lot to celebrate with The Shuffle Demons from Canada with their big energy and big personalities and big music.

Homegrown highlights are NZTrio widely regarded as three of the best musicians in the country along with many others.

Late-night festival comedy will be on show along with a line-up of children's shows which include: Kahurangi Performance Duo, The Pianist, and the Duck, Death & The Tulip.

Tickets are onsale now.