If you’re looking for ways to fill an otherwise dull mid-July weekend, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve curated a collection of the best things to do in Auckland this weekend and in the week ahead that will keep you entertained, educated, creatively inspired, and physically active. From art
Things to do in Auckland this weekend: Skating, aerials, Beyblade competitions and more
By Zanna Gillespie
NZ Herald·
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Greenpeace’s flagship vessel returns to Aotearoa and is open for tours this weekend. Photo / Greenpeace
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Price: Free.
2) Flying fun for families
Any families not at full tilt with winter sports might want to consider a slightly quirky, super fun family activity happening for the next four weekends. Aracnation is starting a four-week family aerials course in Grey Lynn on Sunday and for the three following Sunday mornings. After your morning coffee, why not take the kids and play like you did when you were a kid: climbing, hanging upside down, spinning around. You’ll learn basic aerial skills and build strength while creating lasting memories and connections with your kids and family. Families that play together stay together.
When: July 20, 27, August 3 and 10, 9.30am -10.30am.
Where: Empire Studios, 2 Bond St, Grey Lynn, Auckland.
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Price: $115 for up to 3 family members, $10 for each additional member. Book at aracnation.co.nz.
3) A Century of Modern Art at Auckland Art Gallery
If you haven’t already been to see A Century of Modern Art at Auckland Art Gallery, then this is our emphatic call to action. On loan from the Toledo Museum of Art, Ohio, the exhibition has brought some of the most important pieces of modern art from the mid-19th century to mid-20th century to Aotearoa, including works by Picasso, Monet, Manet, Degas, van Gogh, Renoir, Cezanne and more. It’s essentially a complete education in impressionism, symbolism, cubism, surrealism, constructivism all the way through to abstract expressionism. Anyone with even the slightest interest in art or art history really must go.
When: Until September 28, 10am-5pm daily.
Where: Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, cnr Kitchener and Wellesley Sts, Auckland Central.
Price: Tickets $29.50, concessions $25.50, children 12 and under free.
4) Beyblade X National Tournament
If you have spent countless hours stepping on and picking up Beyblades, then chances are you’ve got a seasoned Beyblader under your roof, and this event might just make all that – and the times you were hit in the face by a flying Beyblade – worth it. The Beyblade X National Tournament is on Sunday. Being held at the Maritime Room at Princes Wharf, Beybladers of all levels are invited to come down and compete for the chance to represent New Zealand in Tokyo. It’s a free event for children aged 8-12 years, but you’ll need to register them today if they’re going to be in with a chance to win a trip to the World Championships at Tokyo Tower for themselves and a guardian. Let the battle begin.
When: July 20, 9am.
Where: Maritime Room, Princes Wharf, Auckland Central.
Price: Register at hasbroeventsaunz.com for free.
5) Aotea Square Ice Rink
It’s the last weekend that the Aotea Square Ice Rink is bringing cold noses, bruised knees, and unbridled joy to the city centre. If you and your friends and whānau haven’t spent some time doing laps on the ice this past month, then get down there pronto. It’s open until 11pm tonight and tomorrow, and 10pm on Sunday night, and then it’s gone for another year. Grab your gloves, a helmet or headband and embrace winter – and maybe a loved one – as you glide, shuffle or stumble around the rink.
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When: Today and tomorrow, 10am – 11pm, Sunday, 10am – 10pm.
Where: Aotea Square, Auckland Central.
Price: Tickets start at $15 from aucklandlive.co.nz.
6) Homebody at Turua Gallery in St Heliers
If art were categorised by season, Homebody, the newest exhibition at Turua Gallery in St Heliers, is winter to its core. The group show, which opened last night, is a collection of artworks that explore “domesticity, stillness and the essence of home.” There are still lifes, nudes, tranquil interiors, and other reflections of the space we hunker down in over the colder months. There are few things that lure us out of the home on a chilly weekend, but Homebody might be one of them. Or if the clutches of your four walls are simply too strong, you can view the collection online as well.
When: Open now until July 30.
Where: Turua Gallery, 10A Turua St, Saint Heliers, Auckland. Visit turuagallery.co.nz for more information.
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7) Plan ahead: Takapuna Winter Lights Festival
On Thursday, things are getting twinkly in Takapuna for the annual Takapuna Winter Lights Festival. Curated by light artist Angus Muir, the festival returns this year for four evenings of light, art, music, and performance. Drawing people out of their homes on winter evenings is no mean feat, which is why the festival is pulling out all the stops. There are large-scale light installations, roaming performers, a local talent show, and a nightly silent disco sponsored by Spark and Spotify. It’s a free ticketed event to avoid congestion, and attendees are encouraged to dress up in bright, maybe even glowing, outfits and be in to win a $1000 shopping spree in Takapuna.
When: July 24 – 27, 5pm – 10pm.
Where: Hurstmere Green, Hurstmere Rd, Potters Park & Waiwharariki Anzac Square, Takapuna.
Price: Free tickets from iticket.co.nz.
8) Plan ahead: Auckland Food Show
Foodies, prepare your stretchiest pants because next weekend is your time: the Auckland Food Show. Rolling into the Auckland Showgrounds is a huge range of food producers, beverage makers, chefs, and foodies of all descriptions – more than 200 exhibitors in total. Throughout the four-day show, there are workshops, cooking demonstrations, prizes to be won, the chance to be crowned the Bake Boss Cake Off champion, and the best artisan food sampling your salivating gob could ask for. It comes but once a year, so clear the schedule for some food indulgence and culinary inspiration next week.
When: July 24 - 27.
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Where: Auckland Showgrounds, 217 Green Lane West, Epsom, Auckland.
Price: Tickets start at $17 with VIP packages available from foodshow.co.nz.
9) Plan ahead: In The Shallows at the Tuning Fork
Not yet a household name, In the Shallows is a Kiwi band who have been doing the hard yards over the past few years, performing more than 90 shows and steadily gaining a loyal following. Led by Welsh singer/songwriter Danni Davis, the band started out as a duo and have picked up talented new members along the way. They’re performing as an eight-piece band next Saturday at the Tuning Fork, complete with violin, cello, and harp, helping to create their unique indie-folk-pop sound. Davis gets deeply personal on the band’s latest releases, and their shows are known for being emotionally charged. If you’re not familiar, have a listen on Spotify, then get tickets for you and yours.
When: July 26.
Where: The Tuning Fork, Auckland Central.
Price: Tickets $28.05 + booking fees from intheshallowsband.com.
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COMING UP
- Siblings: July 24 – 28, Te Pou Theatre, Auckland.
- Manuka Phuel Full Metal Orchestra: July 26, Spark Arena, Auckland.
- Auckland Phil’s Hairy Maclary’s Greatest Hits: July 26, Bruce Mason Centre, Takapuna.
- World Press Photo Exhibition: July 26 – August 24, 131 Queen St, Auckland.
- NZTrio, Fantastique: July 26 – August 31, Motueka, Nelson, Gisborne, Napier, Auckland, Wellington, Greytown.
- Man Lessons, The Live Show: July 29 – August 2, Basement Theatre, Auckland.
- My AI Twin: July 29 – August 2, Basement Theatre, Auckland.
- Ladi6 (Auckland Women’s Centre 50th birthday fundraiser): July 31, Tuning Fork, Auckland.
- RNZB’s Home, Land & Sea: July 31 – August 2, Aotea Centre, Auckland.
- NZ International Film Festival: July 31 – August 10, Auckland (see website for other cities).
- Chicago: July 31 - August 9, Auckland; August 17 – 24, Christchurch; August 29 - 30, Dunedin.
- Opera in the Cathedral: August 8, Holy Trinity Cathedral, Auckland.
- Auckland Family History Expo: August 8 – 10, Fickling Centre, Auckland.
- The Baby Show: August 16 – 17, Auckland Showgrounds.
- MARY: The Birth of Frankenstein: August 19 – September 7, ASB Waterfront Theatre, Auckland.
- Decadunce: August 21 – 23, Basement Theatre, Auckland.
- Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day: August 22, nationwide.
- Mother Play: September 4 – 20, Q Theatre, Auckland.
- NZ Opera’s The Monster in the Maze: September 5 – 20, Christchurch, Wellington, Auckland.
- The World of WearableArt (WOW): September 18 – October 5, TSB Arena, Wellington.
- Art in the Park: September 18 – 21, Eden Park, Auckland.
- Bach Musica NZ’s World Premieres & Bach: September 21, Auckland Town Hall.
- Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live: October 4, Eden Park, Auckland.
- Faulty Towers The Dining Experience: October 8 – 26, Christchurch, Wellington, Whanganui, New Plymouth, Rotorua, Tauranga, Auckland.
- Bill Bailey – Vaudevillean: nationwide tour from 29 October – 23 November.
- Kirk Franklin, The World Tour: December 10 – 13, Christchurch, Wellington, Auckland.
- Jimmy Carr – Laughs Funny Tour: Nationwide 7 – 28 January, 2026.
- Murder on the Orient Express [return season]: February 7 – 15, 2026, ASB Waterfront Theatre, Auckland.
Email canvasguide@nzherald.co.nz with brief details of your upcoming event, including dates/times, location and website.