Five Festival Events to Catch Right Now
If you’re searching for what’s on in Auckland this weekend, the answer is simple: the Auckland Arts Festival has officially opened. Across Auckland CBD and beyond, theatres, public spaces and concert halls are alive with live performance, music and free family events.
Whether you’re planning a night out, a cultural fix or something to do with the whānau, here are five Festival highlights happening this weekend.
A bold and bloody re-telling
Macbeth
Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre | 4–7 March
Shakespeare’s classic tale is reimagined through high-octane contemporary ballet. This original Royal New Zealand Ballet production brings ambition, power and betrayal sharply into focus, driven by Alice Topp’s mesmerising choreography and Christopher Gordon’s commanding score.
Storytelling at its best
Music Portrait of a Humble Disabled Samoan
Q Theatre | 5–8 March
This powerful world premiere is a genre-defying theatre experience that places music, storytelling and lived experience front and centre. Told with raw honesty, humour and pride, the work traces Fonotī Pati Umaga’s journey in a celebration of resilience, hope and creative fire.
Family fun for FREE
Whānau Day
Aotea Square | Sunday 8 March
Looking for free family activities in Auckland? Whānau Day offers a full day of music, movement and creativity in the heart of the city. Enjoy live performances on the ROVA Sound Stage, a Silent Disco in the Spiegeltent, an accessible story circle, a calm quiet space and an art hunt through Aotea Centre and the Square. Bring a picnic or settle in at the Festival Garden and make a day of it.
Aotearoa music royalty
ONO with Moana & the Tribe
Auckland Town Hall | Sunday 8 March
A rich and immersive live performance combining music, kapa haka, dance and electronica. ONO with Moana & the Tribe are joined by visiting artists Shellie Morris (Australia) and Kaumakaiwa Kanaka‘ole (Hawai‘i) for a powerful celebration of culture and connection.
A bold new play
WET
Te Pou Theatre | 5–15 March
She writes smut. They call her unfit. She calls that Tuesday.
Fierce, funny and unapologetic, WET follows Aroha – a māmā, divorcee and successful ‘cliterature’ author – as she navigates shame, sisterhood and creative freedom in a world quick to judge women who take up space.
From live theatre and ballet to free family events and unforgettable music, this weekend’s Festival programme offers some of the best things to do in Auckland right now. Wherever you land, there’s something waiting to surprise you.
