As February comes to a close so too does Auckland Pride Month and Hamilton Arts Festival. But with every ending comes a new beginning and this weekend we welcome the arrival of Moana Auckland festival, the West End touring company of The Rocky Horror Show and autumn. There are countless
What to do in Auckland this weekend: Pride parties, opera nights and ocean delights
Zanna Gillespie
NZ Herald·
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Pass The Sea Legs invites audiences into an immersive theatre experience that pairs electronic music and striking visuals with big, unsettling questions about the world we live in. Photo / Supplied
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Where: Various locations around Auckland’s Waterfront
Price: Free and ticketed events
2) Let’s Do The Time Warp Again…
Richard O’Brien’s unhinged rock ‘n’ roll musical - The Rocky Horror Show - is 50, but it’s showing no signs of slowing down. The longest continuously running contemporary musical in the world has been seen by 35 million people. If you’re not yet one of them, what are you waiting for? The sell-out international tour, starring the exceptional West End cast, has arrived in Auckland and Brad, Janet and you are in for the night of your lives.
When: On now–March 8
Where: The Civic, Queen St, Auckland
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Price: $63.72 – $148.34
3) Little Punks, Big Vegetables
Local ukulele three-piece The Nukes will arrive at Hamilton Gardens tonight to help close out another successful Hamilton Arts Festival Toi Ora Ki Kirikiriroa. They’ve performed at festivals including Woman, Splore, CubaDupa and the Bluff Oyster Festival and now they’re launching their new kids’ song, , written to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Garden to Table. A concert for the whole whānau, families might also enjoy Dr Hubble’s Brilliant Bubbles and the Fijian Flying Circus today. Inexplicably, there are still a few tickets to tomorrow’s final concert on the Rhododendron Lawn by Don McGlashan and the Others featuring Hollie Smith, so why not snap those up too?.
When: Tonight, 6.30pm–7.45pm
Where: Mansfield Garden Tennis Court, Hamilton Gardens, Kirikiriroa Hamilton
Price: Ticketed (see hamiltonartsfestival.co.nz)
4) Art For Equality
Now in its second year, Art Day for Gender Equality takes over Monte Cecilia Park tomorrow for a full day of workshops, music, performance poetry and discussion. The day opens with a mindful movement session grounded in Te Ao Māori with choreographer Tiaki Kerei, followed by a short fiction writing class with playwright Kathryn Burnett. In the afternoon, there’s live music, DJ sets and a performance poetry open mic curated by poet Carrie Rudzinski. The day ends with Art + Gender, a panel discussion featuring contemporary artists and thinkers, with complimentary drinks and kai from 4pm. Registration is essential for workshops and the panel, as spaces are limited.
When: Tomorrow, 9am–6pm
Where: Monte Cecilia Park, 72A Hillsborough Rd, Royal Oak, Auckland
Price: Free
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5) Closing Night Pride Party
Auckland Pride month comes to an end tonight and it’s going out with a bang. At 5pm in Myers Park the Out of the Gutter Street Party will kick off featuring performances by Buckwheat, Hugo Gurrl, Janaye Henry, headliner Ramon Te Wake and more. There will be community and market stalls and a celebratory vibe that honours 40 years since the passing of Homosexual Law Reform in Aotearoa. Don’t cry because Pride’s over, smile, dance, sing and rejoice that it happened and is still happening for just a few more hours.
When: Tonight, 5pm–9.30pm
Where: Myers Park, Auckland Central
Price: Free
6) More Than Dance
Disability-led performing arts company Touch Compass has consistently been on the cutting edge of theatre and performance since its founding, and its latest production Abilitopia is no different. Playing with how AI can interact and participate in the arts, the show features a fully AI-enabled robot that performs alongside the dancers. It’s being performed in a double-bill with White Noise - a piece by Alisha McLennan Marler, who uses her experience as a mother living with disability to inspire an “ongoing dance of communication”. Your final opportunity to see Abilitopia + White Noise is tonight at Te Pou Theatre.
When: Tonight, 7.30pm
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Where: Te Pou Theatre, Corban Estate Arts Centre, Henderson
Price: Tickets from $30
7) Plan Ahead: Pass The Sea Legs
As a rule, motion sickness is horrendously unpleasant but a2 Company’s latest theatre piece bearing that name is … well, not entirely pleasant but certainly creatively inspired. Sure, it deals with the nauseating concept of the end of the world but, using electronic music, hypnotic visuals and movement, the performance is utterly unique and profoundly thought-provoking. Motion Sickness won a touring award at the Melbourne Fringe Festival, with A2 winning the Emerging Company Award. It’s showing for four nights at the Basement Theatre and isn’t for anyone sensitive to strobe lighting, loud music and discussions of genocide and death.
When: March 3–6, 6.30pm
Where: Basement Theatre, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland Central
Price: $17–$34 + booking fees
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8) Plan Ahead: Bluebeard’s Castle
The final countdown is on to Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Arts Festival, which opens next week, and one of the undeniable highlights is NZ Opera’s production of Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle. Set in a suburban home rather than a gothic fortress, the opera reframes its story through the experience of dementia. Returning for their final performances in the leading roles are American baritone Lester Lynch and British soprano Susan Bullock, who performed the opera in Wellington and Christchurch in 2023 to rave reviews. Performed in English and accompanied by the Auckland Philharmonia, Bluebeard’s Castle guarantees two deeply moving, unforgettable nights of opera.
When: March 13 and 14
Where: Great Hall, Auckland Town Hall, Auckland
Price: Concession tickets from $33, ticketmaster.co.nz
9) Plan Ahead: Pick Up The Red Phone
Sometimes art is for looking at and sometimes it’s for playing with and Red Phone is most definitely the latter. Arriving in the Aotea Centre circle foyer on Wednesday is a handcrafted phone booth. Visitors are invited to pick up the vintage red telephone, and find out who’s on the other end. It might be a friend. It might be a stranger. Between you sits a teleprompter loaded with scripts — including one by acclaimed Aotearoa playwright Victor Rodger ONZM — and what happens next is entirely up to you. Created by Canadian interdisciplinary theatre company Boca del Lupo, the free interactive art/theatre/social experiment is only on for four days. Head along and experience something completely original and quite unpredictable.
When: March 4–7, 11am–5pm
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Where: Circle Foyer, Level 3, Aotea Centre, Auckland Central
Price: Free
Coming up
- Auckland Arts Festival Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki: March 5-22, Auckland.
- Wet: March 5-15, Te Pou Theatre, Auckland.
- Werewolf: March 5-8, Q Theatre, Auckland.
- Auckland Boat Show: March 5-8, Auckland.
- Lexus Urban Polo: March 7, Auckland Domain.
- Manukau Symphony Orchestra presents Romantic Fire: March 7, Due Drop Events Centre, Manukau.
- National Farmers’ Market Week: March 7-15, nationwide.
- Little Kai Festival: March 8, Kelmarna Community Farm, Auckland.
- Menopause the Musical: March 10-23, nationwide.
- The Auckland Wooden Boat Festival: March 13-15, Jellicoe Harbour, Auckland.
- Mairangi Bay Food and Wine Festival: March 14, Mairangi Bay, Auckland.
- Kumeu Show: March 14-15, Kumeu Showgrounds, Auckland.
- Pasifika Festival: March 14-15, Western Springs, Auckland.
- Roots Auckland Tattoo Convention: March 14-15, The Cloud, Auckland.
- Warbirds on Parade: March 15, Ardmore, Auckland
- Seed by Elisabeth Easther: March 17-28, Titirangi Theatre, Auckland.
- Linkin Park: March 18, Spark Arena, Auckland.
- EcoFest: March 22-April 22, Auckland.
- Waiheke On Stage presents Stones In His Pockets: March 26-28, Q Theatre, Auckland.
- Aspiring Conversations, Festival of Ideas and Kōrero: March 27-29, Wānaka.
- & Juliet: April 9-May 3, The Civic, Auckland.
Email canvas@nzherald.co.nz with brief details of your upcoming event, including dates/times, location and website.