Weekends In The City Centre

28 - 30 MAR 2025:

Yea, you're busy:

An Evening With Bob Geldof | Aotea Centre | 28 Mar | Tickets from $89

Bob Geldof, a true icon whose impact spans music, activism, and global change. Touring New Zealand in March 2025. This unforgettable event will offer a captivating journey through the remarkable life of Bob Geldof. From his teenage years in Dublin to his groundbreaking music career with the Boomtown Rats, and his tireless global activism through Band Aid and Live Aid, Bob will share his driving passion for global justice, revealing the man behind his groundbreaking story.

Golden Hour | SkyCity | 17 Feb- 30 Apr | From $60

SkyCity's popular dining experience, Golden Hour is back for another season with menu's starting at $60 per person. Make early evenings extra special with bespoke set menus and a glass of Church Road wine at some of their most celebrated restaurants including The Grill, MASU by Nic Watt, Metita, Cassia, Huami, Orbit, Fed Deli and Depot.

March Make Day | New Zealand Maritime Museum | Sundays | Free with Museum entry

Bring the whole family to the Maritime Museum this month to celebrate Sea Week. Get crafty and make a split pin puppet. Choose to create either a sailor, mermaid, octopus or a penguin. It's the perfect family outing to get extra artsy!

Jackie Goes Prima Diva | Q Theatre | 29 & 30 Mar | Tickets from $39.50

Homegrown chanteuse Jackie Clarke turns her powerhouse vocals, wicked humour and maverick entertainment style to the songs of the 20th and 21st Centuries most legendary divas. 

Jackie pays homage to Judy Garland, Shirley Bassey, Nina Simone, Peggy Lee, Streisand and more. From Alison Durbin to Dolly Parton, from Kate Bush to Gaga, she lets her diva flag fly, while playfully engaging the audience with her trademark witty panache.  Accompanied by the splendid Karl Benton on piano (Ardijah, Che Fu, Annie Crummer), expect iconic songs performed with tender soul and gleeful virtuosity in an intimate cabaret setting. 

Don’t miss this rollicking show of bravura song styling, dazzling frockage, pin-drop moments and plenty of laughs. 

Witness, Travels with Mark Adams' Photography | Auckland Art Gallery | 29 Mar | Free

This lecture explores Adams’ work over the last 50 years, beginning with his arresting images of Samoan tatau made in Auckland suburbs in the late 1970s and early 1980s and particularly focusing on his exploration of James Cook’s voyages to the Pacific.

Through his lens, Adams acts as a witness to histories that are powerful, complex, and more than ever unresolved.   

Cody Johnson - Leather Deluxe Tour | Spark Arena | 29 Mar | Tickets from $99.90

CoJo is making his New Zealand debut at Auckland’s Spark Arena! Cody Johnson will be joined by a stellar lineup, including multi-platinum selling star Cole Swindell, along with America’s Ashley Cooke and Queensland’s Wade Forster.

Known for his explosive live shows and electrifying stage presence, Cody Johnson has established a following of passionately loyal fans and regularly sells out shows around the world. After joining Luke Combs’ sold-out Australasian arena dates just last year, CoJo converted legions of fans across the country and is a true force to be reckoned with. Cody has 42 Gold and Platinum certifications, has nearly 8 billion global streams and three No.1 singles.

Cody Johnson’s Leather Deluxe Tour promises to be one for the ages. Together with an incredible lineup of international and local stars, don’t miss CoJo when he lands this March! 

4 - 6 APR 2025:

Pencil these in:

Art of the Score: The Music of Hans Zimmer | Aotea Centre | 4 April | Tickets from $38
From the worlds of Interstellar and The Dark Knight Trilogy to unforgettable themes from Pirates of the Caribbean and Gladiator, feel the full power of composer Hans Zimmer’s iconic scores performed live in concert by the Auckland Philharmonia and presented by the popular podcasters who brought you Art of the Score. 

Tunes 4 Tamariki | Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre | 5 April | Tickets $15

Join Hana on her adventure to find the Auckland Philharmonia, in this semi-staged show featuring original music and well-known singalongs, performed by a fabulous cast of young theatre performers!

Hana the Glowworm lives happily in her dark cave, until one day the beautiful sounds of a faraway orchestra drift towards her… it is then that Hana decides to head out into the world for the first time to discover the source of the beautiful music! Along the way, Hana makes new friends with fellow curious creatures, as well as discovering musical instruments that have been lost by their owners. Can Hana reunite the instruments with their owners before their special concert begins? Will she be able to outrun the sneaky Stoat that’s following her through the forest?

Arrive early and enjoy pre-concert face painting, Aspiring Musician performances and colouring in competition,and be sure to stick around for the orchestra walkthrough, where your tamariki can enjoy the orchestra playing up close!

Last Chance Twilight Sail | New Zealand Maritime Museum | 5 April | Adult tickets, $75

With Daylight Savings coming to an end on 5 April, enjoy one final evening on the Waitematā Harbour aboard the heritage vessel Ted Ashby.

Savour delicious canapés and enjoy a complimentary drink on this two-hour special sailing as you soak in the beauty of Waitematā Harbour by sunset.  Your ticket includes light nibbles and one beverage.

11 - 13 APR 2025:

This weekend? It's a good one!

TŌRUA – An Urban Dance Experience |Aotea Square | 4-13 April | Free

This free immersive dance experience will transform Auckland’s cityscape over two weekends in April, bringing movement, sound and storytelling to two of the city’s most iconic public spaces - Te Komititanga and Aotea Square.

Tōrua features an outstanding ensemble of dance artists, including Levi Siaosi, Sefa Tunupopo, Kia Jewell, Xin Ji, Jemina Smith, Ella Williams, Andre Busby, Petronilla Su'a and Cameron Holland. Hailing from across Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia, the performers will lead audiences on a journey through the urban environment, using the city as their stage - moving and responding to the city.

Monty Python's Spamalot | ASB Waterfront Theatre | 10-13 April | Tickets $35

Monty Python's SPAMALOT is a high-energy, irreverent musical that parodies the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, blending absurd humor, catchy songs, and over-the-top characters. Highlights include the iconic "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" and the memorable "Knights of the Round Table" number. With clever dialogue, witty satire, and a playful take on medieval legends, the show has become a fan favourite.

SPAMALOT won 3 Tony Awards in 2005, including Best Musical, Best Featured Actress in a Musical & 5 Drama Desk Awards, including Outstanding Musical and Outstanding Lyrics.

Frozen in Time: Tintype Portraits | New Zealand Maritime Museum | 12 April | Tickets $150 

Step back in time to the 19th century and be photographed using traditional techniques with Adrian Cook's tintype photography portraits (Tintype Central). Just as Frank Hurley's Antarctic images have stood the test of time, Adrian Cook's tintype portraits capture moments meant to last for generations through a 19th century method of development that predates film photography.

Each portrait session lasts 45 minutes and can include up to two people per session. You’ll receive one original tintype plate, along with a web-resolution digital copy. After the session, your plate will be carefully varnished and cured, then mailed to you within about a week. Each portrait includes free entry to the museum and our current exhibition Into Ocean & Ice.

Carnaval Latino Market | Ellen Melville Centre | 12 April | Free

Carnaval Latino was created to give the local Latin-American community a space to share their culture, traditions, music, dances, food and unique spirit. Check out stallholders from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Uruguay, with live music and folkloric dancers in the square. 

Taking place on varying Saturdays of each month from 10am until 3pm, enjoy great food, crafts, music, performances and most importantly cultural and community connections. 

In Other Words | QTheatre | 11-12 April | Tickets from $35

For the first time ever, celebrated actors and real-life couple Jennifer Ward-Lealand and Michael Hurst perform together in a two-hander.

Connected by the music of Frank Sinatra, this intimate, humorous and deeply moving love story explores the effects of Alzheimer’s disease and the transformative power of music to help us remember the past, connect with the present and hope for the future. 

Meet characters Arthur and Jane as they retell how they met, fell in love and tried to cope with an encroaching illness.

Shoebox TVs for kids | Gus Fisher Gallery | 12 April | Free, registration required 

Join in this whānau-friendly craft workshop where you will be making shoebox televisions, inspired by the video displays in Having it all, all, all. Let your imagination run wild and create a short story to play on your own DIY television screen.

The workshop will take place at Aaiotanga Community Space at 22 Emily Place, just around the corner from the gallery. All materials will be provided, but you are invited to bring a small cardboard box that you wish to repurpose. Suitable for all ages.