Shows
The aching unfulfilled
Chekov’s Uncle Vanya, directed by Andrew Foster and now set in a rural New Zealand vineyard, runs at Circa Theatre from the 12th of September to the 10th of October. We talk to Tawhi Thomas, who plays the title role.
Day-to-day deep dive
Wellington: it’s time to take a good, hard look at Chris Parker! The stage and screen comedy star will kick off the New Zealand leg of his new tour at St James Theatre on Friday the 4th of September.
The hunt is on
Prowl down to BATS from the 18th to the 19th of September and catch The Hunt for the Canterbury Panther, a heartfelt, cringey, and super silly show for tweens this TAHI New Zealand Festival of Solo Performance.
A bug’s life
Through 10 whimsical original songs, Lia Kelly and Phoebe Caldeiro delve into the bug life to tell stories of queer and racial identity in Bug Songs Not Love Songs, on at BATS Theatre from the 24th to the 29th of August.
Dreams, terrors, hope
Jessie McCall’s Big Low Dream is about what we reach for together in the dark. Footnote New Zealand Dance will premiere the contemporary work at The Hannah from the 10th to the 12th of September.
The art of the Teese
Dita Von Teese will bring Nocturnelle, a spellbinding, sensual showcase of bewitching burlesque, to The Opera House on the 28th and 29th of August.
Funnier than ever
One of Britain’s most celebrated comedians, Alan Davies brings his brand-new live show Think Ahead to the capital, reflecting on family life and the everyday absurdities of modern middle age at Michael Fowler Centre on the 8th of August.
Laughs on lock
Known across Australia for her upbeat, playful, and inclusive comedy, Kirsty Webeck will ward off your winter blues with wondrous words that’ll flow faster than your dehumidifier fills at The Fringe Bar on the 9th of August.
Music
The lighthouse shines through
Wellington Norwegian songwriter Hanne Jøstensen will deliver her sophomore EP Lighthouse on Sunday the 13th of September at St Hilda’s Island Bay Anglican Church for the first ever musical event on the South Coast Arts Trail.
Into the wormhole
The soundtrack of the award-winning planetarium film XYZZY is being released on vinyl with a special event at Space Place on the 15th of August. We catch up with director and co-creator Simon Ward.
Fuel your dance
Celebrating wāhine DJs of Pōneke, Girls Torque offers electronic, bass, house, and techno all night long at Valhalla on the 15th of August.
Salvation through song
Known for playing guitar and drums in bands like The Beatniks, Chump Change, and Ani Saafa, Aotearoa indie artist Logan Edwards has just released his debut solo EP Belong to Someone Else and will unveil it at a special gig at San Fran on the 23rd of July.
The angels we wrestle
Delaney Davidson, one of our best, brightest, and most beloved singer-songwriters, unveils his 11th studio album Baby Heavyweight on the 26th of June. We chat with the multi-instrumentalist about his music and the world it reflects.
Get ‘Appy with Menzies
Te Whanganui-a-Tara crooked alt-country rockers Menzies have released their debut Holding My Cold Hand, Even Though Yours Is Warm: part concept album, part Aotearoa coming-of-age story.
Memories, moments, momentum
Playing Vogelmorn Upstairs for the first time on the 17th of July, Wellington-based ensemble Mehana will celebrate 10 years of bringing the rich musical traditions of the Balkans to Aotearoa.
The great evolution
We chat to The Veils frontman Finn Andrews before the indie rockers tear it up at Meow Nui on the 4th of July. Their eighth studio album Fragile World comes out on the 19th of June.
Movies
Raw, truthful, uncensored
On in Wellington between the 15th and the 26th of July, Doc Edge returns this year with 75 films showcasing powerful documentary stories from across the globe.
Vive le cinéma!
The L’Oréal Groupe French Film Festival Aotearoa returns to Wellington from the 3rd to the 28th of June, giving audiences a taste of the best that French film has to offer.
Wonderful wāhine
The Paekākāriki Film Festival, curated by Andrew Armitage of Aro Video to the theme of Wonderful Wāhine, will be on across three Sundays in June at St Peter’s Village Hall.
Wellington Silver Screeners: Chelsie Preston Crayford
We chat with filmmaker Chelsie Preston Crayford ahead of the May release of Caterpillar, a multi-protagonist story that follows three generations of women all living under one roof.
Architects of imagination
The Resene Architecture & Design Film Festival, on between the 14th of May and the 1st of June, showcases the latest and most captivating films of the genre, providing insights into the brilliant minds and movements that shaped the world.
Thriving independent film
Snap Shot Shorts is back for season two, premiering six short films created by over 200 Pōneke creatives at the Embassy Theatre on the 11th of April.
Hot cannibal summer
A chat with director Callum Devlin about his debut film Weed Eaters ahead of its release in cinema. Four holidaying friends come across a strain of weed that gives them the most extreme case of the munchies ever recorded.
Wellington Silver Screeners: Tom Field
Wellingtonian Tom Field was drawn to filmmaking for its worldbuilding and complex characters from an early age. We chat about his short film monster & me and more.
Art
Green Islands
Isabella Smith talks to Regan Gentry about his sculpture Green Islands, comprising four native trees and plants – toetoe, pōhutukawa, harakeke, and tī kōuka – made out of Number 8 fencing wire, stainless steel staples, and galvanised pipes and plates.
Flip the gaze
The Sāmoan word aitu can be translated to mean ‘ancestor’, ‘spirit’, and ‘observer’, while mata means ‘eyes’. Lindah Lepou™’s exhibition Mata’AITU (voyeur) is on at Pātaka Art + Museum until the 8th of November and asks, have we evolved or devolved?
Excitable Alphabet
Poet Jenny Bornholdt and artist and sculptor Anton Hart share their latest exhibition Excitable Alphabet at Bowen Galleries until the 19th of September. Jenny’s words transform as Anton translates them into 3D totem-like sculptures and grooved discs.
Shapeshifter
Andrea Gardner’s Tableaux, on at Nine Fathom Deep Art Gallery until the 10th of September, sees the artist shapeshift through colourful, textured, staged scenes in an eclectic series of photographs.
Ngā Kina
Found on the waterfront, Michel Tuffery MNZM’s Ngā Kina sculpture is composed of nine concrete kina grouped on the seawall where the culverted Kumutoto Stream meets the sea, reminding us of the pā site that once stood on the shore, and the synergy between land and sea.
The Philanthropist’s Stone
Scott Eady’s The Philanthropist’s Stone stands proudly on lower Cuba Street commanding attention, inviting play, and commemorating one of Wellington’s most generous benefactors.
The Ground Will Not Hold
On show at Bowen Galleries until the 15th of August, transdisciplinary artist George Turner’s exhibition The Ground Will Not Hold explores the relationship between national identity and environmental collapse.
Walk the Line
Jewel-like discs of pounamu meander along the Cenotaph memorial precinct mapping the path of the Waipiro Stream in Joe Sheehan’s sculpture Walk the Line.
Events
Nostalgia expo
The Retro Event, one of New Zealand’s biggest celebrations of retro gaming and pop culture, comes to Wellington for the first time. Autobots, transform and roll out to the Wellington Indian Association in Kilbirnie on the 12th of September.
DIY fabulousness
Think you could bring a dazzling, diamond-dappled burlesque performance to the stage for under $100? Watch competitors from across the motu give it their all in The Great DIY BurlesKiwi at The Fringe Bar on the 6th of June.
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.
Personalities
An Evening with Che Fu & The Kratez
Che Fu wants audiences to come in ready to party when he plays Michael Fowler Centre on the 11th of October with his band The Kratez and some very special guests. We got the opportunity to talk to the New Zealand music legend ahead of the concert.
Going viral
Dr Stephanie Waller discusses her work after receiving the Zonta Science Award for her contributions to the study of viruses in Aotearoa wildlife and commitment to advancing women in science.
The craft of a comedian
We sit down with Chris Parker to Take a Good Hard Look at his epic comedy career and latest show, which kicks off his Aotearoa tour at St James Theatre on the 4th of September.
Through the window
We caught up with Isabel Corfiatis – filmographer, director, editor, and many things in between – to discuss the film Music and the Mystical Experience ahead of its screening on the 18th of July at Roxy Cinema as part of the Doc Edge Festival.
Rock band redemption
Nick Sceats’ novel Paper Husbands tells a story of rock band redemption. We caught up to chat about the book, the process of writing it, and the album that accompanies the text.
The thespian of song
We were lucky enough to talk to global icon Engelbert Humperdinck, aka the king of romance, before he brings The Celebration Tour to Michael Fowler Centre on the 26th of June.
The thespian of song
We were lucky enough to talk to global icon Engelbert Humperdinck, aka the king of romance, before he brings The Celebration Tour to Michael Fowler Centre on the 26th of June.
Go towards truth
Tawhi Thomas (Ngāti Maniapoto) has just won Best Play by a Māori Playwright at Playmarket’s 2026 Adam NZ Play Awards. We got down to the nitty-gritty about his play Haere and more.