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Another week, another curation of the finest and dandiest things to do across our fabulous city.
I'm talking seven hearty days of laughing, dancing, pedalling, lifting, eating, reading, looking, crafting, strategising and whatever else lies beyond all that.
And if, like myself, you’re a deadset weekend warrior, then check out what’s on Friday to Sunday with my carefully crafted blueprint on how not to waste your three weekly days of freedom.
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Jump to:
- Don't Miss
- Free And Budget-Friendly Events
- Food And Drink Events
- Arts And Culture
- Rainy Day Activities
- Uniquely Auckland Experiences
- Coming Soon
Don’t Miss
Basement Theatre’s Winter/Matariki Season: F.O.L.A
11-15 June | Basement Theatre | Various Shows & Pricing
Image credit: Fetū x Fetu’u/F.O.L.A | website.
Basement Theatre’s chokka Winter/Matariki Season featuring 16 shows across two festivals continues this week with F.O.L.A: a haven for misfits, punks and menaces of the art world. Taking over from 11-15 June with four days of the very, very different, it’s a buffet of new and unique performers offering something mighty fun to do now that the depths of winter creep over the horizon. Wanna know more?
RIDE FOR PRIDE at Cadence
10 & 12 June | Cadence | $
Image credit: Cadence | Instagram
It’s Pride Month in America right now, and I reckon some of our rainbow folks across the Pacific could use a bit of colourful support. So why not sculpt that hot bod of yours in the process? Mark this Tuesday and Thursday for two epic ride sessions at Auckland’s freshest cycle spot, Cadence Studio. Don your boldest and best and ride, ride, ride till your sweatin’ rainbows. It’s in collab with Robbie Danger Webb, who just became the first trans person to cycle around the world, and online tickets are just five bucks using the code RideWithHeart—you can then donate the rest of the usual class price directly to Outline Aotearoa, a rainbow mental health organisation providing support services across Aotearoa.
Ponsonby Central x Kindness Collective: 100,000 Dots of Positivity
For The Month Of June | Ponsonby Central | Free/Donation
When it comes to feel-good things that are put on by good humans for the sake of, well, humans themselves, then I never hesitate to show some love. In the newest case of joy to come across my desk, Ponsonby Central has partnered with Kindness Collective and dedicated an entire wall to positivity. Grab a coloured dot, write one word that makes you smile, stick it on the wall, and donate to families in need. They hope for a vibrant, growing canvas that reflects the community's spirit in real time, offering a moment of brightness to everyone who passes by.
Pacific Dance Festival
'Til 22 June | Across Auckland | Free-$$
Image credit: Pacific Dance Festival | supplied
June is the month you, I, and everyone else after a rich hit of Pasifika can all dive headfirst into the luminous depths of Pacific Dance Festival. Blooming across three marvellous weeks of performances—featuring the eighteen-dancer strong, hula-informed, Hawaiian mythology PELE: The Goddess of Fire—there will also be free open rehearsals at Auckland Art Gallery, behind-the-scenes glimpses at the War Memorial Museum, and hands-on Cook Islands workshops with master artist Aunty Kura. Cheaaaa.
Enamoured Events: Quiet Nights
Every Tuesday Evening | Enamoured Books | Free
Image credit: Enamoured Books | Instagram
Auckland’s first romance-only bookstore, Enamoured Books, is a wordy haven in Remuera, where owner Ruby Wallace has curated every trope your heart desires. All you smut lovers can now come together in Enamoured's cozy reading nooks with ‘Quiet Nights’—a series that lets you curl up with fellow romance enthusiasts every Tuesday evening. Worthy of a bookmark—no dog-earing required.
Food And Drink Events
This Thai Restaurant Is Getting A Golden Glow-Up
Reopening 10 June | Golden Silk Thai Restaurant | $-$$$
Image credit: Golden Silk Thai Restaurant | Instagram
After a decade of bringing O.G. Thai flavours to Tāmaki, Golden Thai Silk Restaurant are re-opening their Hobsonville restaurant this Tuesday, 10 June. Having closed for a big space refresh and renovation, they’re back with a lush new fit-out and all the signature menu items. Make your way there for your long-awaited pad Thai and green curry fix—and all crispy pork belly that you can shake your chopsticks at.
Serai x Rothko: Fire & Feast For Philippines Independence Day
15 June | Rothko Restaurant | $$$
Image credit: Rothko Restaurant | supplied
Melbourne’s modern Filipino restaurant Serai is coming across the ditch to collaborate with Rothko for one night only on Sunday, 15 June. With over 10 dishes celebrating modern Filipino fare in ‘Fire and Feast’ style, expect tangy kingfish kilaw, humbà glazed eel, wallaby and koji leche flan with purple kūmara ice cream. Tickets include access to the Sculptureum galleries and a glass of champagne on arrival. Drooling? Book now.
And for more food news, follow your tastebuds here.
A Century of Modern Art
Now Showing | Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki | Free
Image credit: Vincent van Gogh, Wheat Fields with Reaper, Auvers, 1890, Toledo Museum of Art, Purchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey.
Manet, Monet, Picasso, van Gogh… Cezzanne, Gauguin, Pissarro, Renoir… if these names have resolutely roused the art aficionado living in that one-bedroom, mattress on the floor, easel at the window, Parisian studio-attic-apartment somewhere in the back of your head, then check this: Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki’s ‘A Century of Modern Art’ is now showing. I would say more, but I think those names speak for themselves.
SUMER: Concrete (Ruth Cleland)
11 June-12 July, Opening 14 June | Free
Image credit: SUMER | Instagram
I don’t typically spend my week staring at footpaths and floors, but I’ll make an exception for the hyper-talented Ruth Cleland and her hyperrealistic works. She has gone to painstaking effort to depict the seemingly mundane—the concrete of footpaths, supermarket floors and even the gallery itself—and it’s as fascinating as it's original. ‘Concrete’ is now exhibiting at Sumer—one of Tamaki’s standout galleries down on Beach Road.
Auckland Live Cabaret Festival
'Til 15 June | The Civic | $$
Image credit: Auckland Live | supplied
Winter may be coming, but it's set to be bedazzled. And hella steamy. The hugely anticipated return of the Auckland Live Cabaret Festival is finally here, once again filling The Civic with a packed lineup that's sure to enchant. From a sexy-dangerous global cabaret/circus sensation, La Clique, to the supernatural pop concert-meets-dungeon nightclub Monster Songs, an interactive Disco Inferno and a whole lot more, including a secret Champagne Lounge.
Turua Gallery’s ‘Lock, Stock & Barrel’
13 June-13 July | Turua Gallery | Free
It’s the awaited return of everyone’s favourite art slanger's annual stockroom exhibition. Running from 13 June for precisely a month, Turua Gallery is back with ‘Lock, Stock & Barrel,’ showcasing everything canvasly orgasmic, including hidden gems and revisited collections from emerging to established artists. What’s more, the good framing folks at Sgraffito Framers have partnered up with TG for a deal on any artworks purchased during the exhibition period. How good? Super good.
Rainy Day Activities
Auckland Council Libraries: Board Game Lending
Council Libraries Across Auckland | For The Next Year | Free
Image credit: Auckland Council Libraries | supplied
For many of us, libraries are more than just books. They’re institutions—warm, dry third spaces that offer a plethora of resources. And for many of us, board games are more than just games. That’s right, if you think you can get away with trading for all my sheep, then immediately roll a seven and blockade my fields, then I’ll happily flip the Catan board and leave. And in such a spirit, Auckland Council Libraries are now trialling board game lending, in the hope that they’ll ruin family dynamics and long-term relationships across the city. No late fees, no worries about the occasional missing piece, and the trial runs for a year. So show your support, and it could be rolled out to more libraries and with more board games in the future.
Osakana Jewellery Wax Carving Block Course
First Six-Week Term From 10 June | Studio Pixi, Totara Vale | $$$
Image credit: Osakana Jewellery | website
Fancy making something beautiful over a lovely, laid-back couple of hours with like-minded folk? Fancy stretching that feeling of serenity over six joyful weeks? Who wouldn’t? And that’s why I’d like to bring to your attention Osakana Jewellery’s new six-week course, where you’ll design and hand-craft bespoke jewellery from start to finish. It’s a warm, welcoming, wintery kind of affair aimed at absolute newbies and previous workshop attendees alike, all kicking off from 9 June. Drop a quick email to Sarina to lock your spot, and if you’ve always wanted that perfect ring but have commitment issues, then here are some of their other cool one-off classes, no strings attached.
Unique Auckland Experiences
LSKD’s 2025 Pride Collection
On Now | LSKD Online & Instore | $$-$$$
Image credit: LSKD | supplied
There’s nothing quite like getting your shred on in powdery pink, sunburst orange and baby blue. And with LSKD's 2025 Pride Collection, you can do just that. Every piece is designed for visibility and representation and 5% of sales go to Wear It Purple which means you can support queer folks, score a deal and blast past your PB all in one sesh. P.S. Their cheeky mid-year sale finishes Tuesday, so wander over there for an even better deal on the collection, but be quick!
Coming Soon
HAU [te Hī me te Hā] FESTIVAL
17-18 June | Basement Theatre | Free-$$
Image credit: Hau [te Hī me te Hā] Festival | supplied
Two weeks. Five shows. One iconic venue. Hau [te Hī me te Hā] Festival takes over Basement Theatre mid-June, and I feel this one's a bit of a no-brainer. From George Henare's powerhouse performance in TĀNE RORE to an all-woman, all-queer Matariki GARAGE PARTY, this festival delivers an extravaganza of fresh, authentic indigenous LGBTQiA2+ stories, single-handedly shifting the forecast for this winter to gale-force winds of change.
Roger Hall’s End of Summer Time (Auckland Theatre Company)
17 Jun–5 Jul | ASB Waterfront Theatre | $$
New Zealand’s favourite playwright, Sir Roger Hall, is bringing back his loveable grump, who’s here to steal the show again. Directed by Alison Quigan and starring Andrew Grainger, End of Summer Time is a hilarious solo play following retired cow cocky Dickie Hat, as he moves to the big smoke to be closer to his grandkids. Packed with Hall’s signature wit and heart, it’s a laugh-out-loud exploration of family, aging, and the chaos of life.
Annie (The Musical)
19-22 June | Bruce Mason Centre | $$
Straight up, as a twenty-something male hailing from provincial-dairy-country-New Zealand, musicals have never really been my thing (well, apart from a brief cameo I had in GREASE in year eight, but the less we talk about the Brylcreem, the better). Annie, on the other hand. She’s different. For decades, her optimism has won over audiences from Timbuktu to Toronto, and thanks to Encore Collective Theatre—hot on the heels of a wildly successful Matilda run—the loveable little red-head is set to grace Bruce Mason Centre this June.
Auckland Philharmonia Six-Thirty Session: Beethoven 5
25 June | Auckland Town Hall | $$-$$$
Maybe you’re like me and kinda hate hump day. Maybe you’re also like me, and often try to schedule something a bit groovy to get through the mid-week blues. I call it ‘Faux Friday Night’, and it acts as half-time oranges for the soul, of sorts. And what better oranges to suck on than Auckland Phil’s new Six-thirty compact Sessions thundering Beethoven throughout the Town Hall. As the name says, strings are plucked at half six on the dot and come to a crescendoing end 75 minutes later with no interval in between. Dinner at eight, anyone?
Doc Edge Film Festival
25 June-25 August | Various locations | $-$$$
If documentaries are your schtick, you’ll want to deep dive into Doc Edge Festival, which, this year, is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Always packed with high-calibre films from Aotearoa and around the world, plus immersive exhibitions, industry events, and a schools programme, Doc Edge is essential viewing.
Upcycled Necklace Making Workshop
29 June | Lost and Led Astray | $$
Image credit: DIY Daisy | supplied
Self-care, slow fashion and sustainable fun? Yes, yes and yes. DIY Daisy is on a wee tour across Aotearoa, spreading her feel-good crafts to conscious consumers. She’s popping into Lost and Led Astray on 29 June and will be running a two-hour upcycled necklace-making workshop, where guests can rummage through a lovely little stash of second-hand beads to design their own bespoke statement necklace—all while sipping tea, snacking, and soaking up the vibes. In her own blissful words, “These workshops are about making sustainability joyful and accessible. It’s not about perfection— it’s about expressing yourself, connecting with others, and giving pre-loved materials a beautiful new life.” Sign. Me. Up.
Dracula's
26-28 June | The Civic | $$$
Image credit: Dracula's | supplied
There comes a time when you realise your soul is yearning for a vampire pulling off gravity-defying contortions in silks. And fortunately, this June, the universe is delivering. Yep, cult-favourite cabaret, Dracula's, is coming to Tāmaki. With two shows already sold out, they're releasing a third on Friday, 28 February. Ninja skills at the ready.
Peppa Pig's Fun Day Out LIVE!
28 & 29 June | Sky City | $$
Image credit: Peppa Pig's Fun Day Out LIVE! | Luke Gallagher
My two nephews', and just about every human two feet and below's, favourite lil piggy will be filling SkyCity with songs, dance, muddy puddles, and all manner of wholesome delights. That's right, Peppa, her family, and her friends go to the zoo and the beach for a special party this June in Peppa Pig's Fun Day Out LIVE! And if you're out of town, you'll be stoked to know she's on tour with additional shows in Wellington, Christchurch and Hamilton throughout July. Tickets live.
The Art of Banksy
7 July-3 August | Hunua Rooms, Aotea Centre | $$
Image credit: The Art of Banksy | supplied
In my younger and more vulnerable years, forever fighting acne, teenage angst and rumours of ‘The Man’, I would've given up my whole $13.75/hour paycheck to catch an exhibition from this street-art titan. Better yet, I’m now a bit older and wiser and can enjoy the celebrated, definitive works of one of the greatest guerrilla artists to ever pick up a paint can even more. And although most of his work appears without prior consultation, The Art of Banksy is scheduled to wow the Hunua Rooms of Tāmaki Makaurau's Aotea Centre from 7 to 3 August. It’s the world’s largest collection of original and authenticated Banksy art, showcasing more than 150 pieces and including the global exclusive of the first-ever Flower Thrower—now a symbol of Palestinian solidarity and resistance, but initially conceived in '97 as a Valentine’s Day gift for his then-girlfriend.
William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet
15 Jul – 9 Aug | ASB Waterfront Theatre, Parnell Village | $$
Shakespeare’s timeless tale of love and tragedy gets a bold, 1960s makeover in this atomic production of Romeo and Juliet. Directed by Benjamin Kilby-Henson, Theo Dāvid and Phoebe McKellar star as the star-crossed lovers in a world of Missoni prints and Pucci glamour. With a powerhouse cast including Miriama McDowell and Bronwyn Bradley, this electrifying reimagining celebrates love’s triumph over hate, but at a devastating cost. A fresh, stylish take on a classic that’s as relevant today as it was back when they were all into their frilly clothes and the word ‘doth’.
Ethel & Bethel’s Comedy Bingo Night—Fundraiser for the Kidney Society
12 September | Freemans Bay Community Hall | $$
Something about 'R18 Bingo Night' just gets me hyped. Maybe it's my competitive side, or maybe I just love taking seemingly innocuous events to the extreme—like that one mishap I had with Pin the Tail at my nephew's fifth birthday. Anyway... Ethel & Bethel's Comedy Bingo Night in September has me genuinely intrigued. It's a night with a mission—raising $30,000 to support people with kidney disease, with every ticket making a real difference. Beyond their sharp wit and chaotic energy, prizes, drinks, snacks, and a fair bit of community-inspired chaos await. No door sales, so grab your tickets now.
Cirque du Soleil: Corteo
30 Oct-2 November | Spark Arena | $$$
Image credit: Cirque du Soleil | Maja Prgomet
Cirque du Soleil is returning to Aotearoa this October, with the Auckland debut of Corteo. Directed by Daniele Finzi Pasca, Corteo is a festive parade imagined from a clown’s perspective, set on a double-sided stage. Expect grace, power, and comedy played out in a liminal space between heaven and earth. Tickets are live.
Not in Auckland? Check out what's on in Christchurch, Wellington, and Queenstown this year.
Main image credit: Queer Powerpoint | Website.
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