Darklight promises to be unlike any other art exhibition Aotearoa has seen. Photo / Luke Foley-Martin
Darklight promises to be unlike any other art exhibition Aotearoa has seen. Photo / Luke Foley-Martin
The month of May really is a go-getter. There’s so much happening in Tāmaki Makaurau this weekend, it’s a bona fide arts and culture bonanza. New Zealand Music Month brings with it a plethora of music events, the NZ International Comedy Festival has more than 600 live performances in its nationwide programme, there’s art everywhere, the annual May the Fourth celebration at Stardome, and an e-waste collection station ready and willing to take your old electronics off your hands and out of your boot. Below are our top picks for things to do in Auckland this weekend.
1) Darklight: A Descent into Colour
This weekend only, there’s an interactive light exhibition set inside a warehouse on Durham Lane that promises to be unlike any other art exhibition Aotearoa has seen. Inspired by similar large-scale international experiences, light artist Angus Muir and Dan Move (Luma Queenstown) have worked together to create Darklight: A Descent into Colour, a unique audio-visual walk-through installation. Tickets are for one-hour sessions, and visitors are encouraged to take photos (no flash) inside the event to create their own one-of-a-kind images using the light installation. On Saturday night, Resonate at Darklight - a one-off event within the exhibition featuring DJs Psychic Glands, Music First DJs, Borrowed CS and DJ JNett - gives visitors the opportunity to take the experience to the next level with live DJs late into the evening.
This year’s festival has more than 600 live performances by homegrown and international comedians. Photo / Jinki Cambronero
Laughing is good for you and for the people you live with who get to benefit from your laughter-induced mood improvement, so all hail the NZ International Comedy Festival, which kicked off this week. The local comedy pool continues to grow in size and talent, and this year’s festival has more than 600 live performances by homegrown and international comedians. Some international highlights of this year’s festival include Felicity Ward, Ed Gamble, Adam Kay, Jen Brister, Mo Amer and Nish Kumar. Local favourites include Melanie Bracewell, Guy Williams, Angella Dravid, Brynley Stent, Pax Assadi and more. If you want a taster session, head along to one of the Classic Comedy Fest All Stars shows that run Tuesday to Sunday throughout the festival or The Comedy Mixtape, Last Laughs or The Best Comedy Show on Earth.
When: May 2-25.
Where: Various venues in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland and Pōneke Wellington.
Naomi Faifai's mixed-media pieces are vibrant, playful and steeped in meaning.
If you’re heading to the Aotearoa Art Fair this weekend at the Viaduct Events Centre then might we suggest a little stopover at the Frame Workshop & Gallery in Herne Bay, which has just opened a new exhibition by South Island artist Naomi Faifai. Naomi works with mixed media to create often large-scale works that reflect her layered sense of identity as a Māori and Samoan New Zealander raised in Timaru in the ’90s. Inner Workings, her first solo show, is a collection of 30 new works which explore “place, connection, and the mahi she’s done on self-acceptance”. Her pieces are vibrant, playful and steeped in meaning. You’ll probably want to take one or three home with you.
It’s a great weekend for a musical adventure in town. Photo / Te Whare Karioi
Auckland Council’s NZ Music Month offerings in the central city are extensive. Every Saturday in May, there’s a performance by Te Whare Karioi at Te Wharekura historic kiosk in Quay St. The professional kapa haka group, with Ngāti Whatua Ōrakei roots, is led by Piripi Davis and will showcase taonga pūkaea, pūtatara, taiaha, poi and haka at the western end of Te Wānanga at 11am. This Saturday, there’s also Afrokin Youth Fest at the Ellen Melville Centre. The afternoon event will feature live performances curated by Creative Pwele and creative activities by House of Afi in honour of another May celebration: Africa Month. And finally, there’s a screening of the online performances by this year’s Ka Mua Ka Muri Te Iho Ahau participants at the Academy Theatre. The talented musicians featured include Idol Essence, Tema, Romi Wrights, Joe Kaptein and Bailey Wiley. It’s a great weekend for a musical adventure in town.
The inaugural FAM event is whānau-friendly, so you can bring the kids and enjoy free performances across three main stages. Photo / Nicholas Belliveau Photography
On Saturday, the K Road Business Association is launching the inaugural FAM event - an afternoon of food, live music and art. It’s whānau-friendly so you can bring the kids and enjoy free performances across three main stages. The musical lineup is curated by Matthew Crawley, with additional performances by Kita Mean Drag Queen and the tamariki marching band that visiting children can join with instruments they bring from home or ones they make at the DIY instrument workshop in St Kevin’s Arcade. There are market stalls, fashion, art, a sausage sizzle, and a fun, inclusive and community-building vibe.
6) Te Marama Puoro o Aotearoa, New Zealand Music Month
In every other month of the year, you can listen to whatever music you want to, but in May, we go local. Listen to your favourite New Zealand artists, discover new music from up-and-coming Kiwi musicians and support our local music scene by going to as many gigs and live performances as you can. There are more than 20 events in Auckland this weekend alone, including Reb Fountain at the Town Hall, and performances and workshops at local libraries, theatres and bars. Spend some time perusing the programme of close to 500 events across the country this month, and you’re almost certain to find something in your neck of the woods. And don’t forget to start planning your T-shirt for New Zealand Music T Shirt Day on May 30.
When: May 1-31.
Where: Nationwide. Visit nzmusicmonth.co.nz for the full schedule of events.
7) Play Our Preludes
Catch one of pianist Lee Martelli-Wood’s five free microjazz concerts this month.
To hear some microjazz piano composed by one of Aotearoa’s most esteemed composers alongside compositions by some of our newest talents, head along to one of pianist Lee Martelli-Wood’s five free microjazz concerts this month. Martelli-Wood was inspired to create the Play Our Preludes series of concerts after performing Christopher Norton’s compositions online for friends during lockdown and finding a widespread appreciation for his music, particularly his rock and Latin preludes. She will also be performing the winning compositions from the young composers’ competition as selected by Norton. This weekend’s concert is at the Blockhouse Bay Boat Club, and the remaining four at Te Tuhi Art Gallery Auditorium in Pakuranga; The Fickling Centre in Three Kings; the Otara Music and Arts Centre; and St George’s Presbyterian Church in Takapuna.
Star Wars fans of all ages should head down to Stardome to join the festivities.
The best place to celebrate pseudo-holiday May the Fourth is of course, at Stardome. Star Wars fans of all ages should head down to Stardome to join the festivities and watch The Planets of Star Wars 30-minute planetarium show. Dressing up is highly encouraged, and there’ll be spot prizes for those sporting the best costumes. The All Blocks Lego Users Group will be there with a Star Wars Lego display and, in the afternoon, a real-life R2D2 will be patrolling the premises along with some of the 501st Legion Stormtroopers. The day’s activities will close out with a screening of parody film Spaceballs complete with free popcorn, but you’d better act swiftly because it’s going to sell out.
When: May 4, The Planets of Star Wars screenings at 12pm, 1pm, 3pm, 4pm, 6pm and 7pm; Spaceballs at 8pm.
Where: Stardome Observatory & Planetarium, One Tree Hill Domain, Auckland.
Price: Visit stardome.org.nz for more information and tickets.
9) E-Waste Drive-Through Collection
Samsung New Zealand and Echo are happy to take clutter off your hands. Photo / Connor Crawford
If you don’t have a drawer full of tangled old cables and redundant or malfunctioning electronics, are you even living in 2025? Samsung New Zealand and Echo are happy to take that clutter off your hands this weekend (and next) with their free e-waste collection drive. Last year, they collected 32,839kg of e-waste, which paints a pretty terrifying picture of how much e-waste this country generates. They accept all sorts of electronics, including televisions, computers, heat pumps and whiteware, and they’ll give you a $50 Samsung e-voucher for your troubles. Not that it will cause you much trouble because you don’t even have to get out of your car at the drop-off stations. Go on, you know you need to.
When and where: May 3, 9am-3pm, Eden Park Carpark, Gate G entry via Sandringham Rd, Kingsland.
When and where: May 10, 9am-3pm,Smales Farm Carpark, The Avenue, Takapuna.
Price: Free.
10) Plan ahead: Clemintine
Dunedin band Clemintine are heading to Auckland next week.
No, that’s not a typo; new Dunedin band Clemintine are heading to Auckland next week to make a lot of noise with their “emotionally fraught melodies and raging heartbeat drums”. They’re performing four shows while here with a swathe of local guests. On May 9, they’re joined by The Ideas and The First Child at 605; on May 10, Lipstick Cherry and CTO will join them at Small Gods; on May 15, they’re performing at Whakamana with Vikae, Exit Sign and Wave Slave; and on May 16, High Voltage and Scream by Tulips will perform with them at Cupid. If you haven’t heard of any of these bands, well, that’s exactly what New Zealand Music Month is all about: discovering new local talents. And don’t say we didn’t warn you that it’s going to be loud.
