Festivals

Nazeem is back in Aotearoa with his new show You Paid for This. 

The breakout star of last year's TV gala is back!

The Best Foods Comedy Gala has moved to September and is now at The Civic! Celebrate Aotearoa’s biggest night of comedy in...

Melanie promises to bring you her signature brand of relatable, goofy and punchline-heavy stand up comedy.

Littered with International and local headliners – Tues to Sat – across the 3 weeks of the Festival.

Guy Williams is returning with his new show, If you Mildly Criticise Me I'll Say It's Cancel Culture and Turn To The Alt...

100’s of jokes, 1000’s of laughs! Best Comedy Show On Earth is BACK baby!

Ahir Shah lands in New Zealand with his Edinburgh Comedy Award winning Ends.

In Speed is Emotional Jo bares their soul, sharing the exhilaration, exhaustion, joy, and absurdity of living and parenting...

Get ready for the Festival and get the party started with this preview of what’s coming up at Comedy Fest in Tāmaki Makaurau...

Star of The Office Australia, Felicity Ward returns to New Zealand with her first tour in years with her new show I'm...

Get ready for a night of non-stop laughs with Joe Daymond’s Comedy Mixtape!

Since 2000 The Big Show has launched so many headline comedians from around the world into the NZ Fest and 2025 is a doozy.

Irish comedian Alan McElroy is back with riotously fun late shows with brand new, high energy shows that reflects on his...

International Emmy Award Winner, Shoshana McCallum, aims to make you laugh at the loss of a loved one with her darkly funny...

Florence Hartigan is bringing her award-winning, one-woman Y2K comedy to the NZ International Comedy Festival.

Quirky, refreshing and quick-witted, Australian Emma Holland is bringing her new hour standup, Don't Touch my Trinkets to the...

This year at the New Zealand International Comedy Festival you have the unique opportunity to witness the strength of Maori...

Ray O’Leary returns in all his suited splendour with his brand-new live show, Laughter? I Hardly Know Her!

After a hilarious debut in 2024 Comedians VS Animals is back!

Bubbah is a Samoan-New Zealand comedian, actress, and writer and will be bringing her show Pure Mature to the Festival. 

STREETSIDE takes over Britomart Precinct on Friday May 19 for an evening of fast-paced readings, declarations, live...

Kōrero Corner is packed with short, drop-in sessions that are sre to inform, intrigue and inspire. Stop by during your...

From opening word to closing lines; daybreak to nightfall; first event to last, the events at AWF bookend a world of stories...

A stellar delegation of writers from Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland will take the stage at AWF this year.

The Book Factory - a high-energy, temporary publishing house where you make the book from start to finish – created by Marcus...

In the 15-year history of Aotearoa New Zealand’s Poetry Slam, only three Pasifika poets have taken the coveted title.

Join te reo Māori teacher, translator and educator Donovan Te Ahunui Farnham (Ngāti Awa, Tūhoe) for an accessible and...

Step into the magical world of Jessica Townsend’s Nevermoor series, where extraordinary adventures and unforgettable...

Dive into the imagination of one of Australia’s most popular children’s authors, whose humour has helped legions of kids fall...

This free children’s programme will provide the littlest bookworms with a chance to have fun and explore their creativity.

Welcome to The Tiny Show! Meet a quiet clown and her troupe of toys as she recounts fables and tales. 

Introducing the first big opening night for the smallest bookworms: a fast-paced night of thrills, joy and creative chaos.

For one night only he returns to the Kiri Te Kanawa stage for a night of conversation with Michelle Langstone and an extended...

A rare opportunity to hear from one of the world’s most esteemed and popular historians, and associate editor at The Times...

Celebrate another stellar year for the nation’s literature at the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards.

In the Festival’s much loved opening night, eight stellar writers speak to a moment of realisation – piercing, clarifying...

The Book Factory - a high-energy, temporary publishing house where you make the book from start to finish – created by Marcus...

Claire Mabey meets two writers whose work asks: how does someone continue through the loss they most fear? And how might we...

2024 Booker Prize winner Samantha Harvey regards her International Space Station-set novel Orbital as existing in a genre...

Join this master wordsmith and performer in his first visit to AWF for an uplifting hour of defiant joy to begin your...

Harriet Walter sits down with Jennifer Ward-Lealand to discuss her brilliant career, reflect on a life embedded in...

Strongmen are rising. Democracies are faltering. How does tyranny end?

Jean-Baptiste Del Amo, Mathilde Walter Clark together with Elisabeth Easther discuss their affecting works that capture man’s...

Madeleine Chapman meets former Writers Centre trustee Whiti Hereaka (Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Te Arawa), Landfall editor Lynley...

Come and celebrate the vibrant and unique heart of Auckland at a Midtown Street Party on the third Thursday of every month...

Gindulgence Festival is returning to Shed 10 on Queens Wharf for a day's celebrations of New Zealand's finest craft gins. 

Five days of education, arts and inspiration.

A two-day convention devoted to celebrating Aotearoa New Zealand’s flourishing anime and manga culture!

Spice up your Summer nights with the Hottest Latin Beats!