The Auckland Rainbow Parade is back this weekend. Photo / Auckland Rainbow Parade
As we approach the end of February, make the most of the remaining sunny days and get amongst all the events on this weekend in Auckland. You can also begin planning ahead for next weekend - the final weekend of summer.
If you’re sticking around Tāmaki Makarau this weekend, there is a diverse range of activities and events scheduled to take place for all ages and groups to get involved in, so you’ll have no excuse to be bored.
Experience all Auckland has to offer by filling your weekend with things to do from our stacked guide so you can make the most of the big city.
If whiling away your Saturday afternoon listening to live jazz music, wine glass in hand, sounds as idyllic to you as it does to us, then head down to Somm on the waterfront. The wine bar is hosting KZ7, not the America’s Cup yacht but a trio of jazz musicians featuring vocalist Chris Melville. Influenced by artists like Miles Davis, Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald, Melville will be singing jazz standards that go down almost as easily as the offerings on Somm’s vast wine list.
If you can’t make it this weekend, put it in your diary for Saturday February 24 when eclectic vocal duo Petra Rijnbeek and Paul Voight are on the bill. There’s live music regularly during the week as well, so visit Somm’s website to see when and who you can enjoy your tipple to this month.
When: Feb 17, 1pm-5pm.
Where: Somm, Prince’s Wharf, Auckland CBD.
Price: Free entry.
One of the greatest joys of living in Tāmaki Makaurau is getting to enjoy and celebrate the abundance of cultures that call this city home. This weekend it’s all about Latin America at Auckland Live Summer in the Square. Latin Fiesta runs Friday to Sunday in Aotea Square and, along with all the drool-worthy South American food options, there’ll be free salsa and tango dance classes, live bands and DJs, samba parades, dance performances, parties, and an outdoor market. Soak up the vibrancy and passion of Latin culture without having to take a costly sixteen-hour plane ride — although we can’t guarantee you won’t be looking up flights to Brazil on your way home from the festival.
When: February 16, 5-11pm; February 17, 1pm-11pm; February 18, 1pm-6pm.
Where: Aotea Square, Auckland CBD.
Price: Free.
Keep your rainbow flag flying high on Sunday for the return of the Big Gay Out. Coyle Park in Point Chevalier will be loud and proud this weekend with live music, art, performances and a market — or, in the words of the organisers, a big gay dance party, a big gay marketplace, a big gay picnic, a big gay bar and some big gay partners. There’s a vogue ball, loads of food options, a hauora wellness hub complete with STI and HIV testing services and big gay buses transporting people to and from the event. It’s a free event but you do need tickets for entry so that they can keep a firm handle on numbers. The Big Gay Out is a safe space for the LGBTQIA+ community and welcomes enthusiastic allies to the party as well.
When: February 18, 12pm.
Where: Coyle Park, Pt Chevalier, Auckland.
Price: Free tickets and $12 bus tickets from biggayout.co.nz
The heart of Titirangi Village, Te Uru, is launching its inaugural fundraiser art auction on Saturday. It’s called New Winds and includes artworks in a range of different mediums by Te Uru alumni artists. All the proceeds from the auction will go to supporting the artists and Te Uru’s new projects for 2024. For those who can make it to the launch on Saturday morning, there’ll be coffee and pastries provided by The Crafty Baker and Atomic Coffee Roasters. And, if you can’t make it in person, check out the catalogue online and see if something takes your fancy. The live auction will take place next month on March 3. Supporting local artists and galleries, when you can, is an important part of keeping a thriving arts scene in Tāmaki Makaurau, so check it out.
When: February 17, 10am-11am (Auction Launch); February 17-March 3 (Auction viewing); March 3, 2pm (Live Auction).
Where: Te Uru, 420 Titirangi Rd, Titirangi, Auckland.
Price: Free entry. Visit webbs.co.nz for the online catalogue.
If the world has been getting you down lately, local mental health charity Voices of Hope is here to let you know you’re not alone. Their latest campaign Behind The Smile has been transformed into a moving audiovisual exhibition that juxtaposes photos of everyday New Zealanders in their happy place with interviews that reveal the raw experience of their mental health struggles. The stunning photos have been taken by New Zealander Tom Gould, whose work has been published in British Vogue and The New York Times and exhibited at MoMA. It’s an exhibition that calls for empathy, reminds us that we contain multitudes, and that there’s always more going on beneath the surface.
When: February 16 - March 8.
Where: Allpress Studio, 8 Drake Street, Freemans Bay, Auckland.
Price: Free.
This weekend is your last chance to get into Black Door Gallery and see their stunning exhibition, Untethered, by Waikato-based artist Jennie De Groot, before it closes on Tuesday. De Groot’s collection of atmospheric landscape paintings balance realism and abstraction to create some truly mesmerising scenes.
When: February 7-20.
Where: Black Door Gallery, 251 Parnell Rd, Parnell, Auckland.
Price: Free.
The Auckland Rainbow Parade is back this weekend and it’s the place to be for good vibrations, flamboyant decorations and inclusive celebrations. As usual, the parade will sashay down Ponsonby Road and attendees are encouraged to wear colourful clothing, a smattering of glitter perhaps, and bring a rainbow flag if you have one though they’ll be handing them out too. There’s a range of entertainment from drag queens to cultural groups, dance schools to Fire & Emergency NZ. Bring your most joyous self and join in celebrating every colour of the rainbow, every unique identity and the possibility of a harmonious, kind and inclusive future.
When: February 17, pre-parade entertainment from 5.30pm, parade start 7.30pm.
Where: Ponsonby Road, Ponsonby, Auckland.
Price: Free to attend. Prime seating available at the Smirnoff Grandstand, Western Park; tickets $35 from rainbowparade.nz
A comedy cabaret drag extravaganza promising “adult humour, self-deprecation and lashings of innuendo,” Les Femmes will feature performances from three stunning queens, each of them stars in their own right: Miss Manage, Miss Givings and Miss Demeanour. It’s billed as an homage to the blockbuster movie and the three queens will be belting out crowd-pleasing tunes from a range of classic movies, including Hocus Pocus, Sister Act, Titanic, and Priscilla Queen Of The Desert. By the end of the night, you can expect to be singing along and dancing in your seats, if you’re not already doubled over crying with laughter. It’s guaranteed to be a hilarious good time.
When: February 22-24, touring the North Island from February 9 to March 10.
Where: Q Theatre, $50-$65 plus service fees.
Price: Info and tickets at lesfemmesnz.com
Throw caution to the wind and live your most spontaneous and sparkly life by getting tickets to Splore, which celebrates its 25th birthday next weekend. The annual three-day music and arts festival at Tāpapakanga Regional Park is a gathering place for good people to party hardy, while maintaining respect for the — incredible — environment and each other. There’s a full performing arts programme including a visual art trail, five stages of music and a wellness zone plus the ocean is on your doorstep so you can break-up your festival schedule with a play in the waves. If you’re a cool parent, bring the kids — it’s whānau friendly. The music line-up is always unique, with the festival programmers focused on introducing up and coming high energy performers to Splore. This year includes UK Mercury Prize winner, Sampha, UK soul sensation, Greentea Peng, and North Carolina-based alternative rock band, Wednesday. Start planning your outfit immediately.
When: February 23-25.
Where: Tāpapakanga Regional Park, 95 Deerys Road, Auckland 2585.
Price: Tickets available from splore.net include free camping on site, GA Youth $220 (13-17 years); GA Adult $420; Kids 12 and under are free.
This one’s a little niche but you don’t have to be in the bizz to attend. Syncposium is a two-day conference at Q Theatre that’s all about making music for the screen, be it film, television or gaming. There’s an incredibly high-calibre line-up of speakers including Oscar, Grammy and Tony award winning creative team Pasek and Paul, who made the music for La La Land, The Greatest Showman, Only Murders in the Building among many others. There’s also Warner Bros executive Darren Higman (A Star is Born, The Color Purple Musical), producer Stacey Sher (Pulp Fiction, Django Unchained, Matilda), Brandon Young who was the music supervisor for Call of Duty, Tony Hawk, Spiderman and Crash Bandicoot, local composer Claire Cowan and many more. Across the two days, there will be panel discussions, keynote speakers and breakout rooms and you can attend just one day or both. If music for screen interests you professionally or personally, you’ll get a lot out of this unique event.
When: February 23 and 24.
Where: Q Theatre, 305 Queen St, Auckland CBD.
Price: Tickets $70/day or $130 for both days from qtheatre.co.nz or visit the website syncposium.org
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