January in Tāmaki Makaurau is certainly delivering, and this weekend is no exception. We've got time travel, a spooktacular shindig, laughing until you almost wet yourself, an undie party, Māori Futurism Dance, and a food truck extravaganza. Oh, and clowns.
Curate your events and dive in, here are 10 epic things to do in Auckland this weekend.
Boogie Like It's 1999
Karangahape Road icon, Neck Of The Woods, is busting out a time machine this Friday for their No Scrubs party and you know there’ll be Barbie Girls and Backstreet Boys galore. So channel your inner Britney, your Scary Spice and your Fergie and get ready to lose yourself on the dance floor.
Live Your Halloween Fantasy
An ode to everybody who was devastated when lockdown decimated their Halloween plans, Studio is throwing a spooktacular shindig—The Nightmare After Christmas—in celebration of eight years of PROPAGANDA. Studio’s multi-room venue will be decked out to the nines, or should we say the 666s with a host of DJs, performers and surprises sure to raise the dead.
Hang Out With Clowns
Get the shock of your life (if you’re afraid of clowns, that is) in what could be one of Auckland Art Gallery’s most polarising, and frightening, exhibitions of all time. The work is titled ‘vocabulary of solitude’ and features stunning coloured windows and at least twelve clown sculptures (or are they?) scattered around the North Atrium. The piece is by Swiss-born, New York-based artist Ugo Rondinone.
Get Amongst The Giggle Fest
This weekend the Covert Theatre is throwing an improv special they’re calling Laugh Lab where the audience gets to mix up comedians to create hilarious and raucously catastrophic results. What could go wrong? Everything. Absolutely everything.
Delight In Dishes From Your Fave Food Truck
This Saturday, flock to Martyn Wilson Fields in Remuera for live music and a feast from the good people at the Food Truck Collective. The lineup alone is enough to make our bellies rumble with the likes of The Corner, Brooklyn Dogs, Double Dutch Fries, Lulu’s Ice Cream, Che Lucia BBQ, Canteen Bali, Grownup Donuts, Hash n Smash, Loco Bros and Paella Pan.
Flaunt Those Undies
Everybody’s is throwing their fourth Undie Partie and this time the theme is masquerade—think Venetian lace and leather. Marcos Alonso, Murray Sweetpants, Mamadafunk and Pino will be on the decks, and there’ll be fortune-tellers on hand to read what fate has in store for you. We predict high chances of a hangover.
Take Part In A Creative Hui
Explore Māori Futurism Dance in Grey Lynn Park this Saturday with Māori artist, dancer, choreographer, performer, and researcher Sherrick Ashtrin Rangitakatu Martin of Tūhoe, Whakatōhea and Ngāti Maniapoto descent. This free dance class is the first in a series by Nū Collective.
Pay Homage To Mother Mary… Quant That Is
Fashion revolutionary, Mary Quant, did some significant pot-stirring back in the ‘60s, inspiring young women to rebel against traditional dress with miniskirts, brightly coloured tights and tailored trousers. A liberated spirit long before women’s liberation, head along to the Auckland Art Gallery’s Mary Quant: Fashion Revolutionary exhibition to feast your eyes on over 120 garments, plus accessories, cosmetics, sketches and photographs that changed the face of fashion forever.
Sip Cocktails To Save Queen B
Beyoncé’s been kidnapped so it goes without saying you’ll do all you can to save her, especially if that involves a trip to Bozo, Karangahape Road’s new gin and craft beer bar, to take part in an interactive murder-mystery game. Each chapter of the Southside Stories mystery is paired with a delicious cocktail. Do you have what it takes to save the Queen?
Take A Visual Vacation To Rome
The borders might not have re-opened yet but Michelangelo—A Different View will have you feeling like you’ve just arrived in Italy. From the good people who brought Banksy to Aotea Centre comes an exquisite re-creation of the Sistine Chapel ceiling frescoes. Immerse in the 4.6m x 20m reproduction of ‘The Genesis’, and 14 other incredible frescoes painted by Botticelli, Perugino, Ghirlandaio and Rosselli.
Not in Auckland? Here are the best events happening across Aotearoa this January.
Image credit: Auckland Art Gallery