Club garibaldi - Te Aro

Club Garibaldi is a social and cultural organisation based in Wellington, New Zealand. It is established to foster and promote Italian heritage, language and customs. Membership is open to any New Zealander who can demonstrate a link to Italian parentage, and their partners. As at the start of 2006 membership of the club stood at 300. The club operates from its own building on the corner of Tory and Vivian Streets in Wellington. The club's administration is purely voluntary and its operations are under an executive committee which meets monthly.

The club's principal activities are:

Social - Weekly (Sunday) gatherings at the club to play indoor bowls, cards, enjoy a drink and each other's company. Social occasions during the year include the national day celebration, a senior members' lunch, a fund-raising dinner, a picnic, children's Christmas party.

Cultural - The club runs Italian language classes for children. Adult classes are run by the club's companion organisation, Circolo Italiano, at the club's premises. The club holds an annual evening of Italian entertainment and twice a year hosts some of the country's leading singers in a cabaret-style show. The club has a close link to the current exhibition at the New Zealand national museum, Te Papa, Qui Tutto Bene, and has previously been involved in the exhibition at the Petone Settlers Museum and historical book, Alle Fine Del Mondo, To the Ends of the Earth.

Major event - The club is the principal organiser of the one day annual Italian Festival. The festival has been running since 1995 and shows off the best of Italian entertainment, food and drink to up to 15,000 visitors.

Links - The club's premises are shared by Circolo Italiano, an organisation that promotes the Italian language and culture and is open to all. It is linked to the Rome-based Dante Aligheri Society. The club also has fraternal relationships with Club Italia, in the South Island city of Nelson. An annual soccer game between the two clubs for the Aldo Cuccurullo Memorial Trophy is played alternately at Nelson and Wellington.