Mr Whippy has teamed up with KitKat to promote a new ice cream, KitKat Neapolitan.
Put down your phone, put aside your woes and give yourself some time to enjoy the goings on of Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland this weekend.
Already the last weekend of February, there are a lot of ways to make the most of the final days of summer, many of them free. From art to fancy dress to live music and ice cream, take a look at our selection of the best events and activities to keep you busy this Saturday and Sunday.
The Frame Workshop & Gallery is continuing to cement itself as one of the most interesting purveyors of contemporary local art in Tāmaki Makaurau. This week, the gallery opened its first show of the year, the New Collectors Group Show. It’s a selection of works by both emerging and established artists that seeks to welcome in a new generation of art collectors. Starting an art collection doesn’t have to be an elite, high-society pursuit, it can be as simple as finding a piece of art that makes you want to take it home. The works in this collection are vast and varied, curated specifically to make tentative newer collectors feel confident in their purchase. Featuring work by Judi Bagust, James Watkins, Kirsten Lovelock, Aida Smith, and Leah Creaven, the New Collectors Group Show aims to help foster relationships between emerging and established collectors and emerging and established artists, hopefully helping to build fruitful connections for both. Whether you’re a newbie to the world of art buying or have an enviable home collection, this show is well worth checking out.
When: February 20 – March 8.
Where: The Frame Workshop & Gallery, 182 Jervois Rd, Herne Bay, Auckland.
Price: Free.
There are few things more generationally divisive than the sound of the Mr Whippy truck cruising into your neighbourhood: children’s eyes light up with glee and their parents groan at the thought of spending more money on their already sugar-laden children. But this weekend, everyone (aged 16 and over) should get on the same page because KitKat has teamed up with Mr Whippy to offer a new ice cream – KitKat Neapolitan – and they’re giving it away! Just as it sounds, KitKat Neapolitan incorporates vanilla, strawberry and milk chocolate flavours with the signature KitKat wafer. If you want your free ice cream, get yourself to one of the many busy parks and beaches around Tāmaki Makaurau where the Mr Whippy truck will be parking up this weekend. On Saturday, it’s making its way around the central western suburbs – Pt Chevalier, Grey Lynn, Freeman’s Bay etc – and on Sunday it’s heading further east – Parnell, Ōrakei, Remuera – before one last hurrah back over in Herne Bay and Westmere. This is your chance to be an early adopter of what may be a new Kiwi classic. And did we mention it’s free?
When: February 22 – 23.
Where: Various locations around Tāmaki Makaurau. Visit nestle.co.nz for the weekend’s schedule.
Price: Free.
The six-week Moana Auckland festival continues to celebrate Tāmaki Makaurau’s deep connection to the sea this weekend with one of the most important events on the schedule, the Moana Auckland Sustainability Expo. Held at the Viaduct Events Centre on Saturday and Sunday, it has a wide range of speakers, exhibitions and activities on offer, focusing on sustainable practices, community-led initiatives and environmental innovations. Aucklanders will be very familiar with the name Tarlton. Tane Tarlton – grandson of Kelly – is bringing to the expo his 6-metre lifeboat, in which he will be circumnavigating the country to raise awareness about critical issues facing our marine ecosystems. The Maritime Museum will be on hand with plenty of whānau-friendly activities and you can colour in a fish to add to the Moana Auckland Sustainability Expo Digital Aquarium using augmented reality app Quivervision. While you’re in town, don’t forget to stop by Z Manu World Champs’ second official qualification weekend at Karanga Plaza in Wynyard Quarter.
When: February 22 – 23, 10am – 4pm.
Where: Viaduct Events Centre, 171 Halsey St, Auckland Central.
Price: Free entry. More info at aucklandnz.com Mus
Consistently one of the best events in the Music in Parks series, Jazz at the Rotunda takes place this Sunday at Auckland Domain. This year’s stellar lineup includes international jazz and soul singer Lady Larisa, jazz trio Love Square and headliner Taylor Griffin. It’s a dreamy way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Saturday’s Music in Parks is being held at Fergusson Park in Onehunga and is in partnership with the not-for-profit initiative Gig Buddies, which helps people living with disabilities attend live events with the support of a buddy. On the bill for the afternoon is a five-piece South Auckland band, The Four Fathers, who perform covers of artists like Bob Marley, Eric Clapton, Smokey Robinson, Kenny Rogers and more. They’re bound to have you grooving. Pack a picnic and make the most of the remaining warm weather and free outdoor entertainment.
Fergusson Park, Olea Rd, Onehunga
When: February 22, 1pm – 4pm
Auckland Domain Rotunda, The Crescent, Parnell
When: February 23, 1pm – 4pm.
Price: Free.
It’s the opening weekend of the Hamilton Arts Festival – Toi Ora ki Kirikiriroa and they’re kicking things off with a festival within a festival. HamLit is a mini literary festival involving 30 authors in a cornucopia of events over two days. Among the highlights are A Garden (Reading) Party with Penny Ashton, where you bring a book and something to sit on and while away the afternoon reading en masse; At the Heart of It, Miriama Kamo in discussion with authors Airana Ngarewa (Pātea Boys, The Bone Tree) and Michelle Rahurahu (Poohara); Be Not Afraid of Greatness, authors Matt Heath and Jamie Pennell in discussion with comedian Te Radar; and Sweets to the Sweet, where six writers will share stories on the garden stage about something or someone who they “get a kick out of”. There are lots of other entertaining events in HamLit and the wider Hamilton Arts Festival this weekend as well, so have a peruse of the programme and consider a drive to the lovely Kirikiriroa.
HamLit
When: February 22 – 23.
Hamilton Arts Festival
When: February 21 – March 2.
Where: Various locations in Kirikiriroa.
Price: Visit hamiltonartsfestival.co.nz for more information and tickets.
Mermaids are real, as you will see if you head down to Queens Wharf this weekend for the Mermaid Parade. Last year was the inaugural event and out of the oceans, waterways and homes of Tāmaki Makaurau more than 200 mercreatures came out to play. This year, with word travelling fast through underwater networks, organisers hope to see even more merpeople joining in. Unleash your inner mermaid and join the parade – all participants (parents included) must be in costume. Festivities begin at 11am with the opening of the Mermaidification Station where you can get free face painting from Body FX and can make a mermaid tail out of recycled materials with ReCreators. The parade proper begins at 2pm and makes its way along the waterfront, ending at the Eastern Viaduct where the judging of the costume contest will take place at the Moana Auckland Hub. It’s a colourful, creative and joyful event to participate in and what’s not to like about that?
When: February 22, 11am – 4pm.
Where: Queens Wharf to Eastern Viaduct. Auckland Central.
Price: Free. Tickets from events.humanitix.com
Auckland Museum is taking a stand in support of LGBTQIA+ families this weekend, with a fun-filled day of craft activities and entertainment, including drag queen story-time with Kita Mean and Anita Wigl’it (from RuPaul’s Drag Race – Down Under). There will be sweet treats, spot prizes and crafts including badge making, rock painting, and a colouring mural in Te Ao Mārama South Atrium. Also at the museum, next Tuesday, you can make a lifesaving difference by giving blood in the iconic Under the Dome rooftop space. You’ll get panoramic views of Tāmaki Makaurau while you do your good deed for the day.
Where: Auckland Museum, Auckland Domain, Parnell, Auckland.
Pride Whānau Fun Day
When: February 22, 10am – 3pm.
Price: Free with museum entry.
Bloodsuckers Blood Drive
When: February 25, 1.30pm – 6.30pm.
Price: Bookings essential at aucklandmuseum.com
It’s the final weekend of Auckland Live’s free entertainment series Summer in the Square and they’re closing it out with two wonderfully whānau-friendly events. Saturday is the Sky Pirates All Stars 5 v 5 basketball tournament and Sunday is a Whānau Day. To keep the competition interesting and inclusive, all the registered basketball teams in Saturday’s tournament must include at least one player over 40, one under 16, one under 18 and one female. Musical entertainment throughout the tournament will be provided by DJ Soultre and comedians Regan Roell and Timprovise will be MCing. The after-party is worth hanging around for, with food trucks and DJs Manuel Bundy, Submariner and Christoph El Truento spinning tracks. Sunday kicks off with bFM’s Kids' Show recording live in the square, with performances by Spellodies and Carnivorous Plant Society. The weekend will be rounded out with a performance of the children’s theatre production Wild Feelings and then a group line dancing session with Viva Dance – yeehaw.
When: February 22, 9am – 5pm (basketball tournament), 5pm – 11pm (after-party).
When: February 23, 9am – 11am (bFM live show), 11.30am – 12.30pm (Wild Feelings), 1pm – 2pm (line dancing).
Where: Aotea Square, Auckland Central.
Price: Free.
Irish drag royalty Panti Bliss has graced our shores this week and will perform the last two shows of her hit comedy If These Wigs Could Talk at the Wintergarden this weekend. Talk show host extraordinaire Graham Norton said of the show: “It’s SO GOOD … No one is making shows like this ... I loved it!” In short, If These Wigs Could Talk is Panti’s life story, a 56-year-old drag queen from County Mayo who made her way to the West End and ultimately came to be known as the “Queen of Ireland”. Wildly entertaining as well as thought-provoking, If These Wigs Could Talk was nominated for Best New Play at the 2024 Broadway World Awards and Panti Bliss for Best Performer – it’s a bonafide international sensation.
When: February 22, 6pm and February 23, 2pm.
Where: Wintergarden, The Civic, cnr Queen and Wellesley St, Auckland Central.
Price: Tickets $35-69 + booking fees from ticketmaster.co.nz
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