Auckland is awash with arts and culture this weekend. From the NZSO to Silo Theatre to grand openings, there’s a truly diverse range of events on offer – many of which you could take your dad to and call it a Father’s Day present. Here are our picks for the
What to do in Auckland this weekend: Father’s Day, theatre, live music and roasts
By Zanna Gillespie
NZ Herald·
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Silo Theatre’s Mother Play made its Broadway debut last year. Photo / Andi Crown Photography
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Where: Auckland Town Hall, Auckland Central
Price: Tickets start at $30 + booking fees, from ticketmaster.co.nz
2) Mother Play for Father’s Day?
Sophie Henderson’s final hurrah as the artistic director of Silo Theatre opened this week at Q Theatre. Mother Play is the story of the Herman family – self-medicating mother Phyllis, and her almost adult children Martha and Carl – spanning four decades after the sudden departure of the children’s father, who took with him their life savings. Written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paula Vogel, the play, both comedic and tragic, made a splash on Broadway last year with Jessica Lange in the lead role. Silo’s production stars Jennifer Ludlam as the gin-wielding matriarch, alongside Amanda Tito and Tim Earl. You have two weeks to see these fine actors muddle through flower power, the sexual revolution, the Aids crisis and countless eviction notices.
When: September 4 – 20
Where: Q Theatre, 305 Queen St, Auckland Central
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Price: Tickets $30 – $75 + booking fees, from qtheatre.co.nz
3) Local Photojournalism for a Cause
The World Press Photo Exhibition closed last month, providing the perfect opening for a new exhibition of New Zealand press photography. Light + Shade, which opened yesterday, is a collection of photos by some of this country’s best press photographers, curated by former NZ Herald photographer Jason Oxenham. The exhibition is a fundraiser for Jason, who is fighting blood cancer and needs life-saving CAR-T cell therapy not available in New Zealand. There’s a wide range of photography on display, including sport, fashion, food, underwater and frontline news photography. Entry to the exhibition is free and prints are available for order. Or in lieu of buying a print, donate to Jason’s Give a Little campaign.
September 5 – 14. 154 Gallery, level 2, 154 Queen St, Auckland Central. Visit oxenhamphoto.com for more information.
When: September 5 – 14
Where: 154 Gallery, Level 2, 154 Queen St, Auckland Central
4) Plan Ahead: Opera by the People for the People
NZ Opera is performing a groundbreaking work, The Monster in the Maze, in Christchurch today before it travels to Wellington next week and Auckland in a fortnight. Directed by the star of the hit film Tinā, Anapela Polata’ivao ONZM, The Monster in the Maze tells the story of cruel King Minos who feeds youth to a Minotaur. Unlike other NZ Opera performances, The Monster in the Maze features community singers and choirs, who perform side by side with NZ Opera professionals. A tale of resistance, this opera is a powerful expression of community and the commitment NZ Opera has to bringing the art form to a wider, more inclusive audience.
When: September 19 – 20
Where: Kiri te Kanawa Theatre, Aotea Centre, Auckland Central
Price: Tickets start at $25 + booking fees, from ticketmaster.co.nzthe
5) Homegrown Gaming on Display
Calling all gamers, today is the Indie Game Showcase at GridAKL in Wynyard Quarter. It’s a day of brand new game discovery suitable for the whole family. Local developers will be exhibiting their latest creations, including experimental games, multiplayer games, adventure games, VR, and exciting student projects. Anyone can come along and try out the games for free, and it’ll be of particular interest to those considering a career in game production as you’re able to speak directly with developers, get an inside look at the process of game development, and gain insights into learning pathways.
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When: Today, 11am – 5pm
Where: GridAKL / John Lysaght Building, 101 Pakenham St West, Wynyard Quarter
Price: Free; tickets and info at gridakl.com
6) Sunday Roast, Dad?
Tomorrow’s Father’s Day, and as much as you love your dad, you may not want to show that love by spending hours in the kitchen preparing – and cleaning up after – a meal fit for a king. Thankfully, there’s a new Sunday roast joint that could be the answer to your Father’s Day woes. The Springs Tavern has recently opened in Onehunga, and they’re serving up a roast porchetta tomorrow with crackling, Yorkshire puds, duck-fat potatoes, seasonal veg and gravy, plus a special gift for dining dads. In the afternoon, musician Josh Leys will be performing a live set in their courtyard as well. You should book because tomorrow’s going to be busy, but in good news, the Sunday roast and afternoon live music sessions are both regular weekly events.
When: Tomorrow (and every Sunday), 12 – 2pm (Sunday roast), 2 – 5pm (Courtyard Sessions)
Where: The Springs Tavern, 177 Captain Springs Rd, Onehunga, Auckland
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Price: Pay on site
7) Illuminating the Port
If you were down at the waterfront or crossing the harbour any time this week, you may have noticed the new artwork on the light wall wrapping around the Bledisloe Wharf car-handling facility. Vehicle storage and contemporary art might seem an unlikely pairing, but the building is the perfect location to host the 110m-long and 13m-high LED light wall called The Lightship. Presented by Port of Auckland, the 2025/26 season of artworks – Thresholds & Crossings – is curated by Simon Bowerbank, director of Whangārei Art Museum. The wall currently features a new piece by artist Esther Stewart and, over the course of the 2025/26 season, will show commissioned works from five more artists from Aotearoa and Australia. The Lightship, which first went up in 2020, is a wonderful addition to the waterfront and is well worth wandering down to see.
When: Current work until October 26, dusk till dawn
Where: Quay St, Bledisloe Wharf, Auckland
Price: Free
8) An Unlikely Gallery Space
Last week, a flood-damaged house in Ponsonby was transformed into an unlikely site for an art installation by artist Simon Endres. First Person (Hard-Boiled) features a collection of life-sized figures that the artist calls “anxious misfits” that together “form an exploded self-portrait and a proxy for our collective state of mind.” The house, which is on a site that was once a stream that flowed to Cox’s Bay, is as much a character in the exhibition as any of the figures inside it. Endres is a graduate of Ilam School of Fine Arts who returned to Aotearoa in 2020 after 21 years working in design and branding in New York. First Person (Hard-Boiled) is at once humorous, haunting, political, and a unique way to spend some time this weekend.
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When: Wednesdays – Fridays, 11am – 6pm; Saturdays – Sundays, 10am – 3pm, until September 27
Where: 24 Tawariki St, Ponsonby, Auckland
Price: Free
9) New Creative Community Space
The Button Factory is a new creative hub that today is launching its Cacao Café with a free event for the public. The space on Abbey St, parallel to K Road, hopes to provide a communal space for people to create and connect. It will host live music events, dance workshops, regular shibari classes and is available to be hired as an event space. Today, cacao will be flowing, there will be nibbles, DJ sets, dance and cultural performances, prizes and giveaways and the opportunity to connect with a like-minded community.
When: Today, 12pm – 4pm
Where: The Button Factory, 2 Abbey St, Auckland Central
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Price: Free
Coming up
- Kōanga Festival: September 12 – 21, Te Pou Theatre, Auckland.
- Auckland Horticultural Council SPRING SHOW: September 13, Western Springs, Auckland.
- We The Young (youth arts festival): September 16 – 28, Auckland.
- The World of WearableArt (WOW): September 18 – October 5, TSB Arena, Wellington.
- Art in the Park: September 18 – 21, Eden Park, Auckland.
- Play in Parnell, reopening of Heard Park: September 20, Parnell, Auckland.
- Auckland Philatelic’s Stamps & Hobbies Exhibition: September 20 – 21, King’s College, Auckland.
- Auckland Pet & Animal Expo: September 20 – 21, Auckland Showgrounds, Greenlane.
- Bach Musica NZ’s World Premieres & Bach: September 21, Auckland Town Hall.
- It’s Alive by Impoverished: September 23 – 27, Pumphouse Theatre, Auckland.
- Pussy Play: September 23 – 27, Basement Theatre, Auckland (mature audiences).
- Can I Get an Underground Location and a Mythical Creature: September 25 – 28, Pumphouse Theatre, Takapuna.
- 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.
- Stones in His Pockets by Marie Jones: October 9 – 18, Artworks Theatre, Waiheke.
- BNZ Auckland Diwali Festival: October 11 – 12, Auckland Central.
- The NZ Highwaymen tour: October 15 – 19, Tauranga, Putaruru, Auckland, Whangārei, Orewa.
- Nelson Arts Festival: October 23 – November 2, Nelson.
- Bill Bailey – Vaudevillean: nationwide tour from October 29 – November 23.
- Analogue Aotearoa: November 1 – 2, Te Aroha.
- NZ Sculpture OnShore: November 7 – 23, Devonport, Auckland.
- Eddie Izzard – The Remix Tour Live: November 21 – 26, Christchurch, Wellington, Auckland.
- H.R. The Musical #2: November 25 – December 6, Q Theatre, Auckland.
- Kirk Franklin, The World Tour: December 10 – 13, Christchurch, Wellington, Auckland.
- Dynamotion & Q Theatre present A Christmas Crisis: December 10 – 20, Q Theatre, Auckland.
- Oprah In Conversation: December 14, Spark Arena, Auckland.
Email canvasguide@nzherald.co.nz with brief details of your upcoming event, including dates/times, location and website.