10 Of The Best Things To Do In Auckland This Weekend
Alice Rich
Contributor & Former Editor | Urban List NZ
Is it just me or does it feel like everyone is coming out of hibernation? Spring is, well, spring-ing, and the calendar has totally exploded. Whether your idea of a good time is partying through the night, setting a new PB for litres of matcha guzzled in a day, or curling up with a good book in absolute silence, I’ve got you.
Here are 10 of the best things to do in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland this weekend.
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What’s On In Tāmaki Makaurau This Friday
Put A Little Funk In Your Friday
Soul Sound is returning to ACS (that’s Auckland Cocktail Syndicate, just by the way) so if you’re in the mood to shake your tail feather, you’ll want to hightail it to Ponsonby for a 10pm start. Rob Warner, Lucas Datt and resident DJ Rob Martyn will be taking to the decks for freshly spun funk, soul and deep house all night. Best enjoyed with a cocktail in hand.
The Details
Where: ACS, 198 Ponsonby Road, Ponsonby
When: Friday 9 October 2026
Cost: Free entry
Find out more here.
Make Your Own Ring
The clever folks at Babylon Store are hosting a silver ring casting workshop this Friday (and Sunday too if you’re not keen to pull a cheeky sick day). Running from 9am ‘til 4.30pmish, you’ll make a ring out of wax and then melt silver or bronze to cast it, before strutting out of the store brandishing your very own ring. As a bonus, if you’ve got an old sterling silver jewellery item you no longer use, you can take it along and melt it down to recycle it into a new piece.
The Details
Where: Babylon Store, 15 Turua Street, St Heliers, Auckland
When: Friday 9 or Sunday 11 October 2026
Cost: $385
Find out more here.
What’s On In Tāmaki Makaurau This Saturday
Do Pilates On Top Of A Volcano
Outdoors Society and Fitness All Together have joined forces for a gorgeous sunrise pilates session atop one of Tāmaki Makaurau’s most iconic maunga–Maungawhau Mt Eden. Meet at 7am at Outdoors Society for a group jog or walk up the mountain, before being guided through some pilates shapes while the sun rises. After the sesh, you’ll head back to Outdoors Society for coffee and oat bowls in great company.
The Details
Where: Outdoors Society, 1/90 Mount Eden Road, Maungawhau
When: Saturday 10 October 2026
Cost: $15 pilates only, +$12 to add an Oat Bro’s bowl
Find out more here.
Banish Hanger With Eatropolis
Chow Luck Club has rounded up some of the most iconic eats in Tāmaki Makaurau for an enormous one-day food experience they’ve dubbed Eatropolis. We’re talking spicy dumplings from Eden Noodles, the cult-classic Sin In A Bun from Hill House Cafe, nasi goreng from Uncle Man, Singapore chilli crab from Treasure Kitchen, crispy cones by Double Dutch Fries, curry laksa by Selera, and more. It’s giving foodcourt of dreams. Ten bucks gets you entry, with each tasting plate a further ten bucks after that.
The Details
Where: Shed 10, Queens Wharf, 89 Quay Street, Auckland CBD
When: Saturday 10 October 2026
Cost: $10 entry, then $10 a plate
Find out more here.
Take Part In A Totally Adorable Reading Rave
In what might be the most wholesome event in this entire lineup, this Saturday is NZ Book Shop Day and Time Out Bookstore in Mt Eden is throwing two reading raves to celebrate. (Like, HOW CUTE.) So grab that book you’ve been meaning to read and head along for two blissful hours of uninterrupted reading time, in the silent company of other booklovers, with complimentary snacks from Griffins. Sessions run from 10-12pm and 4-6pm. RSVP to Time Out Bookstore. While you’re there, pop a token into Bobo Doodles’ pop-up mini print machine to walk away with a cute bookish design.
The Details
Where: Time Out Bookstore, 432 Mount Eden Road, Mount Eden
When: Saturday 10 October 2026
Cost: $5, redeemable on a book purchase
Find out more here.
What’s On In Tāmaki Makaurau This Sunday
Drink All The Matcha
Fellow L-theanine-powered humans, a giant two-day Matcha Festival has landed at Auckland Showgrounds and there is so much matcha to be sipped. Better still this gig’s a festival within a festival–the Auckland Asia Festival combines an Asian street food walk, a Filipino village, cultural performances and Asia Business Expo, a Wealth & Property Expo, a small biz expo, cultural performance and, of course, more matcha than you can wave a chasen at.
The Details
Where: Auckland Showgrounds, 217 Green Lane West, Epsom
When: October 10 & 11 2026
Cost: Entry is free
Find out more here.
Discover A Secret Garden
A slice of tranquil paradise sits in the middle of Epsom–Eden Garden is a five and a half acre memorial garden and charitable trust run by volunteers. Formerly a quarry, the site caught the eye of a horticulturist back in 1964 who took to transforming it into the lush spot it is today. This Sunday, entry is free, and there’ll be a garden scavenger hunt for kids, market stalls, food stalls and spot prizes up for grabs, too.
The Details
Where: Eden Garden, 24 Omana Avenue, Epsom
When: Sunday 11 October 2026
Cost: Entry is free
Find out more here.
Experience Pablo Picasso In A Totally New Way
Auckland Art Gallery has opened its latest exhibition and this one’s all about cubist god, Pablo Picasso. But the exhibition isn’t ‘just’ a collection of the artist’s paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints and ceramics. It’s also a collaboration with legendary British fashion designer Sir Paul Smith who has meticulously designed the spaces around the artworks providing an even fuller, immersive experience.
The Details
Where: Auckland Art Gallery, 1 Kitchener Street, Auckland CBD
When: 10 Oct ‘til 1 Feb 2027
Cost: $30 adults, $21 students, kids under 12 free (and free for art gallery members)
Find out more here.
Get Ready To Wiggle
Last month Jason Derulo took to the stage at Spark Arena and sang his hit song Wiggle. Little did he know, it was a spectacular moment of foreshadowing because just two weeks days later, on the exact same stage, The Wiggles would appear. Yep, clear the calendar. If you grew up with The Wiggles and you’ve now got sprogs of your own, it’s practically your civic duty to take the lil’ tykes along to experience the magic for themselves. Snap up a haul of tickets and get ready to scream Fruit Salad, YUMMY YUMMY at the top of your lungs.
The Details
Where: Spark Arena, 42/80 Mahuhu Crescent, Parnell
When: Sunday 11 October 2026
Cost: From $36.52
Find out more here.
The Best Things To Do This Weekend
Night Market, Eat, Repeat
Every evening of the week from 5pm a night market materialises out of thin air somewhere in Tāmaki Makaurau. As for the weekend, every Friday you can immerse in the hum of night market stalls, filling up on all manner of skewers, buns and sweet treats under Kmart in Papatoetoe. On Saturdays underneath the Warehouse in Pakuranga’s the place to be. And on Sundays, flock to Silverdale Centre. Rejoice.
The Details
Where: Varies
When: Every single day
Cost: Entry is free
Find out more here.
Want more? Check out:
- All The Essential Food News (So You Can Be In The Know And Eat It Too)
- What's On In Auckland This Month And This Year
- Tāmaki Makaurau's Best Restaurants To Feast At
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The Best Breakfasts In Auckland And Where To Find Them
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