17 MAY 2025
Think you can handle the heat? Test your spice limits at the Chilli Eating Heats and battle for a spot in the NZ Chilli...
Winter has truly made its grand entrance these past few weeks - but don't let the bad weather get you stuck into the winter blues! The city is bursting at the seams with concerts, festivals, foodie experiences and more to ensure your calendar is jam-packed with fun - whatever the weather!
If you want to know what's on this May in Auckland, this is the place to be. Our full May roster is packed with dancefloor-worthy live music gigs, fabulous food events, awesome exhibitions and unmissable theatre line-ups - not to mention the New Zealand Comedy Festival, Auckland Writer's Festival, Music Month & Africa Day to name a few! Whether you're a foodie, an art enthusiast, a culture buff, or just looking for a great night out, there's events, activities and more to keep everyone entertained this May in the heart of the city.
Highlights
Fun with friends
Wining and dining
Wednesdays 5-7PM
Queens Wineshop is running weekly Autumn/Winter tastings every Wednesday. Warm up your Wednesday with Hump Day tastings...
SATURDAYS, 12PM-4PM
Inspired by retro tea-taking traditions with a Sean Connolly twist, expect tempting treats flavoured with the Mediterranean...
6 MARCH- 1 JUNE, 11AM- 4PM, 2025
A Sri Lankan Inspired Afternoon Tea at Hilton's Bellini Bar
TUESDAY TO FRIDAY - 3-6PM
$99 for a bottle of Champagne Ayala and a dozen oysters at HI-SO Rooftop Bar. An effortless, early evening affair.
Dans le Noir? (French for 'Dining in the Dark') at the Grand Millennium is an unforgettable culinary, social and human...
FRIDAYS 6.30pm - 7.30pm
Make a toast to class and celebrate the arts with Champagne & Opera Friday's at Bellini Bar, Hilton Auckland.
20 MAY & 17 JUN 2025
A little bit of mystery, a lot of great food. Taste of Tuawhiti is a progressive dinner across three of Auckland’s best...
A night at the theatre
Markets
Family-friendly events
New to Silo Park, the Playline features repurposed pipes from the old Wynyard Quarter tank farm that have been cleaned up...
Free events
There's no reason not to enjoy the free and fun walking tours right in the heart of the city.
Article
‘Te Paparahi Toi Māori’ provides a walking-guide to over 80 sites of public art, architectural design, and historical sites...
Activities & workshops
High tea experiences
6 MARCH- 1 JUNE, 11AM- 4PM, 2025
A Sri Lankan Inspired Afternoon Tea at Hilton's Bellini Bar
SATURDAYS, 12PM-4PM
Inspired by retro tea-taking traditions with a Sean Connolly twist, expect tempting treats flavoured with the Mediterranean...
Friday, Saturday, Sunday, 12-4PM
Experience timeless classics reinvented with Sky Tea.
The Cooke's signature high tea called Vari-tea brilliantly combines the classic English pursuits of afternoon tea, cakes & a...
Every Saturday and Sunday from 3 - 5pm, for just $59 per person. Includes a glass of Easy Street on arrival.
TUES - SAT, 4-5PM
Embark on an afternoon filled with mouth-watering delicacies and delightful cocktail at this high tea experience like no...
Must-see exhibitions
21 FEB - 10 MAY 2025
Having it all, all, all brings together international artists whose work has been pivotal for the re-evaluation of female...
19 FEB - 2 AUG 2025
Explore the imaginative worlds of science fiction in this vibrant exhibition featuring books, magazines, comics and posters...
10 MAY 2025 | 1-2PM
Drop into Gus Fisher Gallery on the final day of their exhibition Having it all, all, all to see a durational performance by...
21 Feb 2025 - 10 May 2025
Chicken Poems is a new body of collaborative and parallel work by siblings Oscar and Sophie Bannan that includes collage...
29 NOV 2024 - 31 AUG 2025
Take a trip to Antarctica through the exhibition Into Ocean & Ice at the Maritime Museum.
ONGOING
Taimoana | Coastlines explores the art of Aotearoa New Zealand, locating it within Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa, the wider Pacific...
9 FEB, 2024 - 1 FEB, 2026
This exhibition celebrates the monumental gift of significant artworks from the collection of New York philanthropists Julian...
SEP 2023 - AUG 2025
Threads of Time: Travel, Trade & Textiles is a jewel-box display that offers a survey of European art from the 15th to the...
SEP 2023 - AUG 2026
Threads of Time: Travel, Trade & Textiles is a jewel-box display that offers a survey of European art from the 15th to the...
29 MARCH - 17 JULY 2025
Across a career spanning more than 50 years Mark Adams (born 1949) has photographed Aotearoa New Zealand – its land, peoples...