Light x 4
5 – 26 June
Rosie’s Gallery, Parnell
Four award-winning New Zealand photographers – Karen Moffatt-McLeod, Mark Burgess, Rolf Siggaard, and Lynn Clayton – exhibit large-format work at Little Rosie’s Gallery as part of the Auckland Festival of Photography, showcasing decades of expertise in portraiture, landscape, and creative photography. Daily, 7am-3pm.
Opera Gala 2026
28 June
Auckland Town Hall
The Auckland Opera Studio and Manukau Symphony Orchestra unite for a thrilling Opera Gala, spanning Verdi’s grandeur, Puccini’s passion, and beloved moments from Carmen, Pagliacci, Faust, and more. A feast of melody, drama, and the raw power of the human voice – opera at its most electric and accessible.
Doc Edge Film Festival
24 June – 12 August
Various locations
The Oscar-qualifying Doc Edge Festival returns nationwide, and features 49 feature films, 26 shorts, 12 immersive projects, and 28 world premieres. Highlights include a landmark takeover of the Smith and Caughey building, hosting New Zealand’s first combined World Press Photo and immersive documentary exhibition.
Constellations
2-19 July
Q Theatre Loft
Nick Payne’s acclaimed play reimagined through a te ao Māori lens by Nī Dekkers-Reihana, set beneath the stars of Matariki. An astrophysicist and beekeeper meet, their love story unfolding across infinite realities — tender, devastating, and transforming. Intimate yet expansive, Constellations asks what changes when fate, choice, and culture shift the context of connection.
Disney’s The Little Mermaid
26 – 28 June
Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre, Aotea Centre
Auckland’s National Youth Theatre brings Disney’s The Little Mermaid to life with 250-plus young performers staging the beloved Hans Christian Andersen tale and classic Disney film. A splash-hit whānau show not to be missed!
Auckland Live Cabaret Festival
24 June – 5 July
The Civic
The Auckland Live Cabaret Festival returns to The Civic, transforming Auckland’s most iconic venue into a winter playground of music, comedy, theatre, circus, burlesque, and the utterly undefinable. Free pop-up performances, cocktails, fabulous outfits, and artists mingling with audiences — a joyful, anything-goes escape from the cold.
Ngā Reo o te Rangi – Voices of the Stars
10 July
Great Hall, Auckland Town Hall
A stunning Matariki celebration blending waiata, kapa haka, and storytelling to honour the Māori new year. Stan Walker, Troy Kingi, and Maisey Rika headline, alongside kapa haka group Te Rōpū Manutaki. Professor Rangi Mātāmua hosts a live Q&A on the significance of the stars. Presented by Ngāti Tamaoho with Auckland Council Events.
Sons of Vao
18 June – 5 July
ASB Waterfront Theatre
A landmark world premiere from Auckland Theatre Company – the first Niuean story they’ve staged. Playwright Vela Manusaute’s award-winning Pasifika drama, Sons of Vao, follows three brothers across four decades, from Niue village life to Ponsonby suburbia. A raw, funny, and powerful exploration of migration, masculinity, and breaking cycles of inherited violence.
