Shows
Oops Sari I’m Indian
Oops Sari I’m Indian is a new solo show from Jenice the Menace at Circus Bar on the 14th of March that celebrates and cleverly dismantles Indian stereotypes.
An incredible story
Music Portrait of a Humble Disabled Samoan shares the extraordinary life journey of musician and disability advocate Fonotī Pati Umaga at Tāwhiri Warehouse from the 12th to the 14th of March for the Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts.
Gleeful abandon
D’Things N Such is Wellington’s freshest, wildest, and most unhinged theatrical experience. We chat with director Seiyan Thompson-Tonga ahead of the 14-date Circa run from the 13th to the 28th of February.
Standout stand-up
Now that there are no more public holidays in sight, lift your spirits at the stacked Weekend Laughs calendar coming to Abandoned Taproom Petone on the 20th and 21st of February, the 27th and 28th of February, and the 6th and 7th of March.
The chosen one
Do Star Wars and Star Trek have beef? They do now, thanks to the latest Caburlesque show that will see a lineup of stars perform burlesque, pole, cabaret, and belly dance acts to determine the top wookie of space travel at The Fringe Bar on the 7th of February.
William who?
Stagecraft opens its 2026 season with a production about one of the greatest playwrights of all time – and how we nearly didn’t know him at all. Catch The Book of Will at Gryphon Theatre from the 4th to the 14th of February.
Spinster
At The Fringe Bar on the 30th and 31st of January, Christchurch-based comedian Snap explores his newfound self-determined status of spinster.
Help save Christmas!
‘Twas A Spell Before Christmas, when all through the house, all the wee elves were stirring… for a pantomime blast! The Pantoloons bring their Christmas show to Greater Welly this silly season.
Music
Shapeshifting through time
We chat with visionary Dutch New Zealand trio MY BABY about their new album Echo and upcoming Welly gig at San Fran on the 18th of March.
Shimmering, sublime
Aotearoa indie legends The Bats are finally hitting the road to celebrate their 2025 album Corner Coming Up. Catch the tour at St Peter’s Village Hall in Paekākāriki on the 13th and Meow in Wellington on the 14th of March.
Fearless and formidable
On her first solo headline tour in eight years, singer-songwriter Theia will perform songs from her 2025 album Girl, In A Savage World plus more favourites at Meow on the 5th of March.
Sepulchral sounds
On Saturday the 7th of March, Merciless Deathfest II rises from its sepulchre to deliver an unforgiving metal ritual at Valhalla.
A family affair
Settle in for an intimate evening full of fan favourites, new material, and unmistakable charm with multi-instrumentalist Avalanche City (Dave Baxter), who will play Wairarapa Events Centre on the 20th of February and Meow Nui on the 7th of March.
Love and loyalty
For the first time in 35 years, Wendy James and her British pop rock band Transvision Vamp are touring down under, playing their nostalgia-filled favourites at Meow Nui on the 27th of February.
A record of reinvention
Wednesday the 11th of February is the day you’ll need to brace for when American rock band A Place to Bury Strangers detonates their explosive new album Synthesizer at Meow.
Two tickets to Wheatus, baby
25 years on from the release of colossal hit Teenage Dirtbag, we catch up with Wheatus as they gear up to make their Aotearoa debut.
Movies
Wellington Silver Screeners: Eva Brunel
Emerging screenwriter Eva Brunel chats all about her 2025 David Carson-Parker Embassy Prize-winning script Peephole and what will come next.
Wellington Silver Screeners: Matthew Mawkes
With a journey full of ups and downs, Matthew tells Alessia about his past and his future in film, as well as his newest Wellington-made film Blind Panic.
Wellington Silver Screeners: Jason Stutter
With Warren’s Vortex currently streaming on TVNZ, co-director Jason Stutter and I embark on a journey through the past, present, and future of how he made his dream of becoming a filmmaker a reality.
Wellington Silver Screeners: Emma Duncan and Ashlee Stevens
Emerging filmmakers Emma Duncan and Ashlee Stevens’ short documentary Home by Three Kea Pictures follows Teiti Nepia, a mana wahine who reclaims her autonomy by living on public land when she becomes priced out of Wellington’s rental market.
20 years of Show Me Shorts
Show Me Shorts explores with creative storytelling as part of their 20th anniversary festival, taking place at Light House Cuba between the 10th and 15th of October.
Frantic filmmaking fun
In a feat of furious filmmaking, 173 Wellington teams brought stories to life over just one weekend during the Vista Foundation 48Hours. See the Regional Finals and the Grand Finals on the big screen at Embassy Theatre on the 18th of September and the 25th of October respectively.
Wellington Silver Screeners: Ross Payne
Having recently brought to life The Nukes’ music video for their new song Max the Musical Mosquito, Wellington-based creative Ross Payne talks to us about all things animation.
Silver screen sorcery
For 10 days in August, the world comes to Wellington as part of Whānau Mārama: New Zealand International Film Festival. Catch films from around the globe and right here in Aotearoa between the 14th and 24th.
Art
Nourished and reflective
At Twentysix Gallery, the rituals of gathering, preparing, and sharing food, and the landscapes that hold those memories come to life in Emma Hercus’ The Foragers until the 21st of March.
Under, Over and Across
Angela Kilford and Lisa Munnelly explore the relationship between material, maker, and making in their exhibition Under, Over and Across at Toi Pōneke Arts Centre until the 13th of March.
Shifting strands
At National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa until the 23rd of May, the City Gallery Te Whare Toi exhibition Recording Mauri: Moments of Light and Earth by Cora-Allan is unapologetically political, deeply thought, and imbued with earth-toned beauty.
Searching and painting
Acclaimed Vietnamese artist Đặng Mậu Tựu explores memory, identity, and belonging while offering an intimate perspective on living between Vietnam and Aotearoa in Những Miền Đất Nhớ | Lands We Remember, an exhibition at Te Whare Manaaki o Toda until the 7th of February.
Remembrance and resistance
Whai Wahi reopens at Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery on the 20th of January until the 29th of March to explore works from the 1970s to present day that articulate expressions of mana motuhake, dissent, and an enduring will to engage in critical dialogue about our shared colonial past.
Stitching stories
From the 7th of December until the 8th of March, Tīpurepure ‘Au Vaine will transform the gallery at Pātaka Art + Museum into a living, breathing space where communal making collides with a rotating display of tīvaivai or traditional Polynesian quilts.
Shared futures
New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pukenga Whakaata’s exhibition Reclaimed Land: Tāngata, Tiriti, Taiao brings together bold new artworks that explore deep and enduring connections between people and the land until the 8th of February.
Expanding the boundaries
GLASS, at James Blackie until the 22nd of November, redefines the material in the context of fine art and reframes it as a medium capable of profound storytelling.
Events
Haere mai
Seven years after closing its doors, Te Matapihi ki te Ao Nui Wellington Central Library welcomes Wellingtonians to discover, learn, and connect in the new space from the 14th of March.
Love Actually
This Christmas season, fill your cup at Love Actually in Concert, where you can catch the timeless classic on the big screen at Michael Fowler Centre accompanied by a live orchestra on the 20th of December.
Star-studded skirmish
Following three heats of jaw-dropping outfits and show-stopping spectacles, the Rising Star finale at Ivy Bar & Cabaret on the 29th of November guarantees fierce competition for the crown.
Do you like piña coladas?
Make genuine face-to-face connections at Sapphic Speed Dating Dinner Party and enjoy a four-course meal while Pōneke performer Ginger Velour jumps on the mic.
All things bird
Come one, come all to Explore Omnibirding with Giselle Clarkson, where the author and illustrator will guide readers through the inner workings of her new book and the wonders of the avian world at Tawa Library on the 3rd of October.
Embrace the chaos
Eyegum Music Collective’s multi-venue music and arts festival Great Sounds Great will take over Cuba Street Precinct on the 6th of September. We get the sneak peek from co-curator Ben Jones.
Hard hills and high fives
Brad Coleman created the Tip Track Marathon in 2017 as a joke that is still going even though no one is laughing. The ninth edition of ‘Wellington’s least favourite trail running event’ takes place on the 6th of September.
Bookmark this!
The inaugural Bookmark Kāpiti – an exciting and diverse festival of 25 events celebrating local people, stories, and places – will be held up and down the spine of the coast on the 9th and 10th of August.
Personalities
The work-art balance
Oliver Mander will direct Ben Elton’s Gasping, the first production of Wellington Repertory Theatre’s centenary season, at Gryphon Theatre from the 18th to the 28th of March.
The creative antidote
New Zealand singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Bic Runga will tour her sixth studio album and first in a decade this autumn. We Zoomed with the Sway singer ahead of the Red Sunset Tour at Michael Fowler Centre on the 2nd of April.
Thinking ahead with Alan Davies
We interview British stand-up comedian Alan Davies, known for QI and Jonathan Creek, before he pulls up to pull no punches at Michael Fowler Centre on the 8th of August amidst his Think Ahead tour.
A Few More Slices of Heaven
Whether you’ve seen him tearing up stages across Aotearoa with his band DARTZ or you get his YeeHawTheBoys comics delivered straight to your inbox, Daniel Vernon (Ngāti Kahungunu ki Te Wairoa) is a creative force who is thrilled to have just released his new book A Few More Slices of Heaven.
Keep curious
We talk to science communicator, homeopath, and first-time author Vanessa Young about her debut, The Reluctant Homeopath: An unexpected science story.
Cue the confetti!
We round up the year that’s been and look forward to the next 250 issues. Merry Christmas from us to you!
The artistry of public bathrooms
Recently becoming the inaugural recipient of the $40,000 Fair Trust Art Prize, Wellington creative Emily Hartley-Skudder will present an immersive installation that examines everyday objects, gendered spaces, nostalgia, and Palmerston North’s Ladies Rest at Te Manawa Museum.
Counter-culture connoisseur
An ode to Aotearoa and the people who call it home, An Eccentric History in Batik by Wellington creative powerhouse Dinah Priestley also serves as her legacy.