A traditional Lion Dance kick starts Chinese New Year festivities at SkyCity. Photo / Natalie Slade
It’s time to say ‘ni hao’ to the Year of the Rabbit and thank the moon and the stars that the rabbit symbolises longevity, prosperity and peace, and not endlessly multiplying little mouths to feed.
SkyCity is ringing in the lunar new year this evening with Chinese entertainment including guzheng performances, panda and lion dancers and the lighting of firecrackers to ward off evil spirits.
Tomorrow night’s festivities will include an appearance by the God of Good Fortune who’s arriving quite dramatically from the AJ Hackett Skyjump. The two long weekend Sundays will have night markets at the base of the Sky Tower with noodles, dumplings, skewers and other good eats that will ensure the Year of the Rabbit won’t have you eating like one.
Lunar New Year celebrations: tonight and tomorrow from 6pm. Night Market: January 29 and February 5, 4pm-9pm. SkyCity, Federal St, Auckland CBD. FREE.
Tonight is the opening night of Shoreside Theatre’s Shakespeare in the Park.
Your summer holiday may have been hijacked by the weatherman but the season to be outdoors is not over yet and Shakespeare in the Park is a wonderfully cultured way to suck the most marrow you can from summer evenings.
This year, they’re performing the tragic romance Antony and Cleopatra - directed by Jason Moffatt - and the ode to the witchy woman in all of us The Merry Wives of Windsor, directed by James Bell.
The Egyptian love story opens the season tonight, with the Merry Wives opening on Tuesday. The outdoor amphitheatre at The Pumphouse is a glorious place to spend an evening. You could even pack a picnic and have dinner lakeside before the show. Summer unlocked. Chef’s kiss.
Tonight until February 18, 7.30pm. The Pumphouse Outdoor Amphitheatre, 2a Manurere Avenue, Takapuna, Auckland. Tickets $24-$28 from pumphouse.co.nz Children under 12 free when accompanied by a paying adult (limit 3 per purchase).
Open your eyes to the experiences of Aotearoa’s refugee and migrant community with Mixit’s latest offering, Home. Mixit has been devising creative performance work since 2006 as a way of helping young people from former refugee and migrant backgrounds to “belong, socialise, gain confidence and develop networks.”
Twenty young people have spent the last two weeks working with established artists to create a performance that incorporates dance, drama, spoken word and music and reflects the theme of home - a complex, layered and emotional subject for many of the participants.
Today and tomorrow, 1pm and 5pm. Sea Scouts Hall, 55 West End Rd, Herne Bay, Auckland. Entry by gold coin. Email admin@mixit.co.nz to book.
Regardless of where you’ve woken up this morning, make a plan to be lounging at Snells Beach this afternoon. It’s the site of today’s Music in Parks event, where you can let the funky beats of six-piece band Coco-Rocky, and Crimson Layne, rock your body, the salty sea air cleanse your nostrils and feel the joy of summer returning to your soul.
Tomorrow, check out indie-pop sensation Isla Noon and up and coming Americana artist Miller Yule at Hobsonville Point. There’s nothing not to like about these free outdoor music events.
You get an education in the local music scene and the opportunity to hang with friends while enjoying the healing properties of nature. Yes please, Auckland Council.
Today, 1pm-4pm. Sunburst Reserve, Sunburst Avenue, Snells Beach.
Tomorrow, 1pm-4pm. Hobsonville Point Park, Buckley Avenue, Hobsonville. FREE.
Is 2023 the year you release the creative spirit that’s been pinned down by the weight of financial woes, a worldwide pandemic and global unrest?
Set she, he or they free at a painting workshop with Auckland Botanic Garden’s Artist-in-Residence Neal Palmer this morning.
Palmer works primarily with paint and will be guiding participants to create their own piece of botanical art using acrylic paints on paper and aluminium board.
All materials will be supplied, however, you’re welcome to bring your own additional paints and a botanical photo to work from if you have them. You could come away with something new for your wall and maybe a new hobby for the new year.
Today, 10am-12pm (a possible afternoon session will continue until 2pm if enough interest). Meet at Auckland Botanic Gardens visitor centre, 102 Hill Rd, Manurewa. FREE.
Spend the day soaking up Chinese culture and welcoming forth the Year of the Rabbit at Auckland Showgrounds today. The Auckland Chinese Community Centre Inc is throwing its annual Chinese New Year Festival and Market Day bash today.
There’s an indoor concert with local performers doing cultural dances, songs and musical items, as well as outdoor demonstrations of martial arts, tai chi, lion dances, singing and dancing.
You’ll get to chow down on some of the best Chinese food in Tāmaki Makaurau as well as buy lots of Chinese New Year foodstuffs to take home to continue the new year celebrations.
There’s a Chinese youth art exhibition, over 200 stalls selling a plethora of Chinese cultural goods including traditional arts and crafts and more. And, if you’ve got little people in tow, there are amusement rides and activities just for them. It’s a super fun day for the whole whānau. Gong hei fat choy!
Today, 9.30am-4pm. Halls 3 & 4, Auckland Showgrounds, 217 Greenlane West, Auckland. FREE.
There’s only one way to get back at summer for being MIA when this country needed it most and that’s to make it work overtime, late into autumn’s shift. We’ve got some relaxing to do, some partying to do, some spending time with friends and family to do and we’ve got tans to work on.
You can do all those things and more while vibing to the eclectic musical stylings on offer at WOMAD NZ this March. The Fly My Pretties’ 16-strong cast, which includes Barnaby Weir, Anna Coddington, Ria Hall, Laughton Kora and Hollie Smith, was just announced this week.
They join Sampa The Great, Deva Mahal, Mdou Moctar, Youssou N’Dour & Le Super Étoile de Dakar, Romany folk supergroup Taraf de Caliu, three-time Grammy-winning rock and roll, funk, R&B activist Fantastic Negrito, German techno marching band MEUTE, Argentinian Grammy Award-winning ensemble Astor Piazzolla Foundation, Pacifica Women’s ensemble Le Moana, Japanese Drum Team Narukami Taiko and loads more. Get yourself tickets and get your summer good times in autumn.
March 17-19. Bowl of Brooklands and Brooklands Park, New Plymouth. Tickets $150-$490 from womad.co.nz
Esther's dads, Jenkins and Walter, founded a 20ha sanctuary for her and other animals.