Waikato will take on North Harbour at FMG Stadium Waikato this week. Photo / Andy Jackson, Getty Images
● Bunnings NPC: Waikato v North Harbour, rugby, September 12, 7.05pm at FMG Stadium Waikato
Watch the Mooloos take on North Harbour at home. There will also be spot prizes, giveaways and a few surprises. Tickets online via mooloo.flicket.co.nz.
● Thrifty Threads, pop-up shop, until September 13 at The Meteor Theatre, Hamilton
Hamilton City Council is partnering with Hospice Waikato again to reduce the clothing sent to landfill with a pop-up op-shop experience. Pay the entry fee at the door (cash or Eftpos), bring your bags and find some pre-loved gems.
● Afrika Bazaar Waikato, September 13, 11am at Claudelands Event Centre, Hamilton
This event celebrates the diverse beauty of Africa in Hamilton with colourful performances, authentic African cuisine, art and music. Free event.
● A Midsummer Night’s Dream of Aotearoa, theatre performance, September 16-18 at Hukanui School, 5 Pickering Cres, Hamilton
Loosely based on Shakespeare’s classic play, this is the story of a group of school children and their intrepid teacher who are lost in the misty forests on Mt Pirongia. They spend a restless night experiencing vivid dreams given to them by the magical and mischievous patupaiarehe. Tickets online via Eventfinda.
● NZMCA Motorhome, Caravan & Leisure Show, September 19-21 at Mystery Creek Event Centre
Industry leaders and an array of industry-related accessory providers will be present at this expo, offering everything imaginable to make your outdoor lifestyle complete or to offer expert advice. Tickets online via classicevents.ticketspice.com.
● Opera Scenes – Fate and Rebellion, concert, September 19-20, Gallagher Academy – Concert Chamber, Knighton Rd, Hamilton
Seduction, obsession and the supernatural ignite an evening of operatic drama, as a fearless company of young singers from the Waikato Conservatorium of Music present scenes from Carmen, Semele and Die Freischütz. Directed by John Davies with Francis Cowan on piano.
● Ms Aotearoa Whakawahine Pageant 2025, September 20, 6.30pm at The Meteor Theatre, Hamilton
Continuing on from the original pageant in 1996, Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland) Ms Aotearoa, this is a whakawahine (transgender woman) initiative: by whakawahine, for whakawahine from all backgrounds from all ethnicities. Tickets online via The Meteor’s website.
● Cheer Factor Championships, cheerleading, September 20-21 at Claudelands Event Centre, Hamilton
Top cheerleaders from across New Zealand compete for the title of Cheer Factor Champion. The event includes several categories, including duos, stunt groups and team routines from tiny divisions to elite and adult teams. Tickets online via Ticketek.
● Outside In, theatre performance, September 30-October 4, at The Meteor Theatre, Hamilton
Wing Valley Productions’ play Outside In follows the story of seven women who navigate their lives and themselves inside prison, trying to manage how much the outside seeps in. As a new inmate arrives and another prepares to leave, the cracks appear in a dangerously-thin veneer of order. Tickets online via The Meteor’s website.
● Waikato Home and Garden Show 2025, October 2-5, at Globox Arena, Hamilton
Find everything you need to renovate, build, decorate and landscape your home under one roof. There will be show-only deals, hundreds of exhibitors, live cooking demos, seminars and demonstrations. Tickets online at tickets.lup.co.nz/waikato-home-and-garden-show-2025.
● Bunnings NPC: Waikato v Northland, rugby, October 4, 4.35pm at FMG Stadium Waikato
It’s the last chance to see Waikato on home turf before finals footy kicks in. Tickets online via mooloo.flicket.co.nz.