The Best Things To Do In Auckland This Weekend

It’s the first weekend of autumn, and Auckland/Tāmaki Makaurau is serving up love, culture and plenty of fun.

From design pop-ups and arts festivals to food and wine showings and the ballet, there’s something for everyone to enjoy this weekend.

Here are the best things to do this weekend in Tāmaki Makaurau. 

La Ronde: Auckland Arts Festival

291-297 Queen Street, Tāmaki Makaurau | Thursday 5 March–Sunday 22 March

Image credit: La Ronde | Instagram

Five-time Festival favourites Strut & Fret are back with their most dazzling spectacle yet, bringing La Ronde to the Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Arts Festival for a limited run under the iconic Spiegeltent.

Expect gravity-defying aerial feats, jaw-dropping pole work and choreography dripping in sass, all backed by powerhouse live vocals and a soundtrack that fizzes like champagne. It’s circus meets cabaret meets comedy—high-gloss and high-energy.

If you’re building your Arts Festival hit list, this is your cue to lock in a Spiegeltent night. Dress up, gather your boldest mates and pair it with dinner or another show to make it a full evening out.

Where: Aotea Square (Spiegeltent), Auckland
When: Various dates, from Thursday 5 March-Sunday 22 March
Cost: From $89 (booking fees may apply)
For tickets and more details, head here.

A Free Bike-Powered Festival Is Rolling Into Henderson

Falls Park, Henderson, Tāmaki Makaurau | Saturday 14 March

If you’re even a little bit bike curious, this free community festival in Henderson is worth adding to your weekend plans. Bike Curious is taking over Falls Park for an afternoon and evening celebrating movement, music and climate action—with plenty of ways to get involved.

Expect live music and DJs, BMX showcases from some of Aotearoa’s top riders, and hands-on activities for all ages. You can pedal your own smoothie, check out an antique and unusual bike display, ride the pump track, tune up your wheels at the Bike Hub, learn to ride a unicycle or give your ride a glow-up at the “Pimp Your Bike” workshop. There’ll also be bike-themed short films and the Bikers Banquet, a community potluck where everyone’s invited to bring a dish to share.

As the sun sets, things wrap up with a glow ride through Cranwell Park and the Henderson Creek Path—complete with the famous Vospertron glowing robots lighting the way.

Where: Falls Park, Henderson, Auckland
When: Saturday 14 March, 3pm–8:30pm
Cost: Free (tickets via Humanitix)
For tickets and more details, click here.

Duck Pond Is Bringing A Wild Circus Spin To Swan Lake

Aotea Centre, Tāmaki Makaurau | Thursday 12 March–Sunday 15 March

If you think you know Swan Lake, think again. Duck Pond flips the world’s most romantic ballet on its head with a bold circus reimagining from the acclaimed Australian company Circa—packed with jaw-dropping acrobatics, aerials and plenty of playful chaos.

This wildly entertaining production blends Circa’s signature physicality with cheeky humour and theatrical flair, telling the classic tale of swans and hapless princes in a completely unexpected way. Expect quirky touches like a sequinned, flipper-wearing duck army, a burlesque Black Swan and plenty of feathers as the story unfolds through dazzling circus performance.

Touching, funny and visually spectacular, Duck Pond explores identity and the courage to embrace who you truly are—while delivering plenty of laughs and gasp-worthy moments along the way.

Where: Aotea Centre, Auckland
When: Thursday 12 March–Sunday 15 March
Cost: $69–$89 (with $30 tickets available for under 30s)
Tickets and more info here. 

Escape To Provence With Gilt’s Saturday Long Lunch

Gilt Brasserie, Tāmaki Makaurau | Saturday 14 March

Image credit: Gilt | Rachel Duignan (Urban List NZ)

If a long, lazy French lunch sounds like your kind of weekend plan, Gilt’s new Saturday Menu Du Jour series is worth booking in for. The restaurant’s latest instalment is inspired by the flavours of Provence, bringing a taste of the French south to the Auckland CBD.

The three-course experience kicks off with a mini ratatouille entrée for the table, served with toasted baguette and olive tapenade. For mains, choose between tender bavette steak with tarragon mustard jus and heirloom tomatoes, or a rich bouillabaisse packed with mussels, clams and fish in a flavoursome scampi bisque. Both come with unlimited pommes frites—perfect for soaking up every last bit of sauce.

Finish things off with a Paris-Brest choux filled with lavender crème pâtissière and seasonal peaches, alongside a glass of Provence wine (or a carafe for the table). It’s the perfect excuse to settle in for a long lunch that feels a little like dining on the streets of Europe.

Where: Gilt Brasserie, Auckland CBD
When: Every Saturday
Cost: $65 per person for three courses (wine additional)
More info and bookings here.

 

Moana Festival

28 February-15 March | Various Locations

Image Credit: Auckland Wooden Boat Festival | Supplied

Auckland’s Ocean Festival, Moana Auckland, is back from 28 February to 15 March 2026, transforming the waterfront into a full-scale celebration of our deep connection to the moana. 

Things ramp up this weekend with the Z Manu World Championships (28 February–14 March) including Auckland qualifiers across 28 Feb–1 March and 7–8 March, before the Grand Final on 14 March. 

Where: Various Locations
When: Saturday 28 February—Sunday 15 March
Cost: Free entry
To find out more here.

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Main image credit: Sulthan Auliya | Unsplash