What’s on this weekend in Auckland: Comedy festival, Africa Day, Darkfield and more

MOTAT is celebrating recent successes with a weekend of sports technology fun.

If you’re looking for reasons to pry yourself from the clutches of your couch and explore Tāmaki Makaurau this weekend, you’ll almost certainly find something to do on our list. Catch a show in the last weekend of the NZ International Comedy Festival, check out the General Collective Lifestyle & Design Market or the Auckland Home & Garden Show, or experience something completely different at Darkfield. Here’s our top picks for things to do in Auckland this weekend and beyond.

1) Africa Day

Immerse yourself in the cultures of Africa this Saturday at Africa Day in Silo Park. The free whānau-friendly day of celebrations includes live music and dance performances, artists, fashion shows, market stalls, food vendors and good vibes. Among the performers there are the Burundian Drummers, Congolese Dance Group, Keshia, DJ Presto and more. The day celebrates the many and varied cultures of Africa and is an opportunity for the growing community of Aotearoa’s African diaspora to come together and share their unique cultures with each other and the wider Auckland public.

When: May 24, 10am-6pm.

Where: Silo Park and Base Spaces, Wynyard Quarter, Auckland Central.

Price: Free.

2) Darkfield

Darkfield only has two more weeks here before continuing its travels around the world. Photo / Tash Wilson

For two weeks, Aucklanders have been unsettling themselves with the immersive audio experience, Darkfield. Set up in two shipping containers in Aotea Square, Darkfield only has two more weeks here before continuing its travels around the world. There are two experiences - Séance and Flight - and in both the containers are pitch-black and visitors step inside for a thrilling 20 to 25-minute 360-degree audio experience in either a Victorian seance room or replica economy class cabin. What happens inside is a one-of-a-kind experience that will have you thinking and talking about it for weeks to come.

When: May 7-June 8, Tuesdays-Sundays.

Where: Aotea Square, Auckland Central.

Price: Tickets start at $20 + booking fees from aucklandlive.co.nz.

3) Sports Tech at MOTAT

This weekend MOTAT has multiple reasons to celebrate. Te Puawānanga Science and Technology Centre turns one year old and, excitingly, it just walked away with the award for International Exhibition of the Year at the Museums + Heritage Awards in London. The museum is celebrating with a weekend of sports technology fun. There’ll be mixed reality sports, multisensory experiences, hands-on activities with exercise science and physiology experts, reaction speed tests and more. Visitors will learn all about the human body and the incredible technological innovation happening within sport.

When: May 24-25, 10am-4pm.

Where: MOTAT, 805 Great North Rd, Western Springs, Auckland.

Price: Usual MOTAT entry fees apply.

4) Internet Cafe of Now

Internet Cafe of Now is a free and interactive event that showcases retro internet experiences.

For some, the idea of an internet cafe seems so quaint and old-fashioned it’s akin to writing with a quill. And for others, that brief but important part of our digital evolution conjures memories of sticky keyboards and the looming threat of timing out mid-email. This weekend, you can take a trip with the ghost of the internet’s past to Chorus’ Internet Cafe of Now pop-up in Newmarket. It’s a free and interactive event that showcases retro internet experiences like a webcam photo booth and classic gaming, and explores how far we’ve come through masterclasses with local content creators, live podcast recordings, e-sport demonstrations and free coffee.

When: May 23-25, 10am-6pm.

Where: 242 Broadway, Newmarket.

Price: Free.

5) General Collective Lifestyle & Design Market

Find an expertly curated collection of more than 140 stalls from local makers and creators at the General Collective's market. Photo / General Collective

Anyone who prides themselves on being a unique gift-giver, an ethical shopper or a design enthusiast should make their way to the Auckland Showgrounds on Sunday, where the General Collective is hosting its autumn Lifestyle & Design Market. There’s an expertly curated collection of more than 140 stalls from local makers and creators selling everything from homewares and fashion to skincare and gifts. It’s a delightful place to wander on a leisurely Sunday.

When: May 25, 9am-3pm.

Where: Auckland Showgrounds, 217 Greenlane Rd West, Greenlane, Auckland.

Price: Entry $5, children under 12 free. Online tickets from iticket.co.nz.

6) Mr Snotbottom’s Stinky Silly Show

The show features slimy, snotty, icky, gross-out comedy that’ll make kids and grown-ups laugh out loud. Photo / James Penlidis

It’s the final weekend of the NZ International Comedy Festival and your last chance to buy some autumn giggles from visiting comedians. If late nights and babysitters are something you have to think about, you might be interested in Mr Snotbottom’s Stinky Silly Show, which is one you can take the kids or grandkids to this Saturday afternoon at Q Theatre. Australian comedian Mark Trenwith developed Mr Snotbottom while performing at children’s hospitals. His show features slimy, snotty, icky, gross-out comedy that’ll make both kids and grown-ups laugh out loud.

When: May 24, 3pm.

Where: Q Theatre, 305 Queen St, Auckland Central.

Price: Tickets $25 + booking fees ($20 each for families of 4 or more) from qtheatre.co.nz. Visit comedyfestival.co.nz for info on other shows this weekend.

7) Auckland Home & Garden Show

Transform your house and the way you live in it.

Homeowners, renovators, design enthusiasts and dreamers will find a wonderland of products and services at the Auckland Home & Garden Show this weekend at Eden Park. There are nearly 200 home, garden and lifestyle businesses demonstrating and selling products to transform your house and the way you live in it. Plus, there are experts to answer your burning questions on topics like kitchen renovations, choosing paints, how the building regulations are changing, solar power and more. There’s great food and artisan goods on sale, free parking on site, and the chance to win a $2500 prize package from Resene.

When: May 22-25, 10am-5pm (4pm on Sunday).

Where: Eden Park, Reimers Ave, Kingsland.

Price: Entry $5, free for under 16s. Visit homeandgardenshow.co.nz for more info and online tickets.

8) Plan ahead: Fly My Pretties

Don't miss Fly My Pretties in Auckland next week. Photo / 2024 Masanori Udagawa

Aotearoa’s own supergroup, Fly My Pretties, has just released a new album, Elemental, and is performing three not-to-be-missed shows in Auckland next week before heading down to Christchurch. Led by Barnaby Weir and Laughton Kora, the Elemental line-up includes AJA, Riiki Reid, Taylah, Louis TM, Aaron Stewart, Iraia Whakamoe, Nigel Patterson and Ryan Prebble. The entire album was written, rehearsed and recorded by 11 musicians in one intensive week at Massey University, in which they performed as part of the Wellington Jazz Festival. Spend this weekend having your own listening party, then get tickets for the live experience next Friday or Saturday.

When: May 30 and 31.

Where: Q Theatre, 305 Queen St, Auckland.

Price: Tickets $98.50-$128.50 + booking fees from qtheatre.co.nz. See flymypretties.com for Christchurch tickets.

9) Plan ahead: PonsonBurger Burger Festival

Let's all take a moment to give burgers the respect they deserve. Photo / Babiche Martens

Meat-free Monday might have to take a brief hiatus next week because it’s the first day of the two-week PonsonBurger burger festival, an invitation to wrap your laughing gear around as many big juicy burgers as you can from the 32 participating Ponsonby eateries. The festival coincides with International Burger Day, a day when we can all take a moment to give burgers the respect they deserve. There’s a cornucopia of different burgers on offer across the venues, including a brisket burger, cola burger, fried chicken burger, black cod burger and even a couple of dessert burgers. Visit the PonsonBurger website at your own risk - salivation is inevitable.

When: May 26-June 8.

Where: Various eateries in Ponsonby. Visit ponsonburger.nz for more information.

Coming up

• French Film Festival Aotearoa: May 28 - June 29.
• NZ Opera’s La Bohème: May 29, June 1 - 6, Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre, Aotea Centre.
• Kia Mau Festival: 30 May – 14 June, Wellington.
• Pacific Dance Festival 2025: June 6 - 22, Auckland and Kerikeri.
• PAPA - Papatūānuku | Whakapapa - Woven Wearable Art Showcase: June 7, Kāhui St David’s, Auckland.
• NZSO Masterworks: Mozart, Beethoven & Haydn: May 31 - June 13, Wellington, Blenheim, Nelson, Manukau, Kerikeri.
• Auckland Live Cabaret Festival: June 3 - 15, The Civic Theatre, Auckland.
• Black Grace, Company B: June 4 - 5, Aotea Centre, Auckland.
• Auckland Philharmonia’s Community Classics: June 7 (Manukau), July 19 (Takapuna) and August 3 (Auckland Town Hall).
• Matariki Festival: June 7 - July 13, Auckland.
• F.O.L.A [AKL] (Festival of Live Art - Auckland): June 11 - 14.
• Hau Festival [te Hī me te Hā]: June 17 - 28, Basement Theatre, Auckland.
• Auckland Philharmonia Matariki with Ria Hall: June 19, Auckland Town Hall.
• Roger Hall’s End of Summer Time: June 17 - July 5, ASB Waterfront Theatre, Auckland.
• Bernard Shaw’s Saint Joan: June 25 - July 5, Q Loft Theatre, Auckland.
• Black Faggot: 25 – 29 June, Q Theatre.
• Brew of Islands Festival: June 28, Bay of Islands.

Email canvas@nzherald.co.nz with brief details of your upcoming event, including dates/times, location and website.