Enjoy a kaleidoscope of colours and patterns in Auckland Museum’s exhibition, Secret World of Butterflies, which features thousands of butterflies (pūrerehua) from the Shannon Collection, on display for the first time.

Be amazed by these stunning insects in this family-friendly exhibition that reveals unbelievable butterfly facts and is packed full of interactive activities. Zoom in on nature’s designs or create your own butterfly and unleash it into a magical digital garden.

The exhibition explores the science of butterflies such as metamorphosis, anatomy and habitat and is perfect for young explorers and lovers of the natural world.

Head to Butterfly Creek these school holidays to see some of the world’s most fantastical legends come to life. Take a walk around the park and find Dragons, Unicorns, Serpents, Aliens, magical Mermaids, the mythical Kraken and many more amazing creatures.

Like Dinosaur Kingdom, many of the creatures are life-sized & some even move & make sounds! It’s a very magical experience for children and adults as you wander around Butterfly Creek.

The new exhibit is included in the current All Attractions pass, so there is no extra cost to visitors.

Butterfly Creek is open daily during weekends and school holidays from 9am to 5:30pm.

Team Funfest is proud to announce Trillian Trust Funfest 2020 New Zealands biggest annual free summer family event. Four  days of FREE rides, FREE entry, FREE entertainment and FREE parking.

FREE RIDES
Ride New Zealand’s number 1 rides as seen at the Easter Show and New Zealands top festivals. Mahons Rides will feature all your crowd favourites The Sizzler, The Roundup, The Hurricane, The Dragon Wagon, Cup’n’Saucer, Tug’n’Boat, Kidz Train…and more !

ALL NEW ATTRACTIONS
Check out the all new Market zone featuring a selection of market stalls inside the Sir Wolf Fisher Arena (also features a small inflatable zone inside).

LIVE ENTERTAINMENT
Check out the FunFest Stage featuring Kids Karaoke, Kids disco, Stage prizes & fun competitions PLUS we are proud to announce a lineup of local singers, dance groups and pacific performance groups !!

FUNFEST INFLATABLE ZONE
Inflatable Zone… Check out New Zealand’s top inflatable attractions from festival favourites like slides and bouncy castles to the Inflatable fun courses.

BRING YOUR OWN FOOD & DRINK
Tables and chairs are provided in front of the stage which is located inside the air conditioned Sir Noel Robinson Conference centre. You are more than welcome to BRING IN YOUR OWN FOOD [picnic] and drink.

** PLUS ** Purchase great food from our Food court featuring Mussel Fritters, Fish & Chips, Burgers, Hot Dogs, Bacon & Egg Rolls, Steak Rolls, Coffee & Crepes, Shaved Ice, Donuts, Tip Top products, Island food, Candy Floss and Cold Drinks. Popcorn, Kebabs, Cold drinks….

Summer’s well and truly arrived in Aotea Square and to keep you on that summertime buzz, we’ve got a free weekend of live folk music for your ears to enjoy!

Music connoisseur, Finn McLennan-Elliott has created a delectable line-up of incredible local and international folk acts who will be serenading us all weekend long from Thurs 17 to Sun 20 Jan.

Acts include performances from Ethno New Zealand, Milly Tabak (The Miltones), Tom Cunliffe Music, Fables and many more!

Check out the full line-up and times here https://www.aucklandlive.co.nz/show/sounds-of-summer

Ports of Auckland’s SeePort Festival is a three-day celebration of Auckland City’s beautiful waterfront and rich maritime heritage. The family-friendly festival is one of New Zealand’s largest free events, returning in 2019 for its sixth year of seaside fun.

You are can go behind the red fence over Auckland Anniversary weekend to check out the port from land, sky or sea as Captain Cook Wharf is transformed into a bustling summer festival. Carnival rides, boat sailings, helicopter rides, delicious food, virtual-reality, simulators, tours, music and entertainment on and off the water – little and big kids will be spoilt for choice!

Visit the SeePort website at www.seeport.co.nz

A door is a beginning and an end, a promise and a warning. What waits on the other side is limited only by the imagination and decided only by an action. Step across the threshold.

From the masterminds behind the 2018 Auckland Arts Festival’s House of Mirrors comes a new invitation to lose yourself and find something else in the process. A seemingly endless series of doors, screens, portals and gateways give way to the many in-between spaces humanity has invented to fill the void—passageways and parlours and vestibules and holding pens—each haunted by the lingering traces of past inhabitants.

Will you feel like a time traveller waltzing across eras as you pass through each door? Or one of the very ghosts these doors seem to summon? Every entrance into this house of possibility will begin at the same door, but no two visitors will leave the same as they entered.

Children under the age of 12 should be accompanied by an adult.

Hours 10:00am to 8:00pm each day.

1000 Doors is on from Thursday 10 January 2019 to Wednesday 6 February 2019

MOTAT is set to launch imaginations, spark enthusiasm, and challenge youngsters to expand their thinking beyond this world! Discover the wonders of flight this summer at Up and Away! An action-packed holiday experience all about the scientific principles behind how things fly. Featuring four activity stations delving into the science that makes air travel and space exploration possible.

Challenge your navigation and problem-solving skills with the Up and Away Trail, build a model satellite to be launched in a rocket from the Blasting Off station, investigate the forces of weight, lift, and drag in the vertical air tunnel at the Flight Lab, and test the limits of your senses on the 360-rotation gyroscope!

It’s the perfect day out for young aviation enthusiasts, adventure, aspiring engineers, adventure seekers and keen explorers. Don’t miss this exciting new holiday experience running in conjunction with Boeings international travelling flight exhibition, Above and Beyond, on display in New Zealand exclusively at MOTAT until 11 March 2019.

From the producer of Mary Poppins comes Disney’s spectacular musical, Aladdin.

Featuring all your favourite songs from the classic Academy Award-winning film, including ‘Friend Like Me’, ‘A Whole New World’ and ‘Arabian Nights’, Aladdin is “exactly what you wish for” (NBC-TV).

The classic tale is brought to thrilling theatrical life on stage with breath-taking sets, mind-blowing special effects, over 300 lavish costumes and a fabulous cast.

Recommended aged is for children aged 6 years plus and adults.

“Aladdin musical is shining, shimmer and splendid” – Newshub

“Theatrical magic” – Daily Telegraph UK 

“Fabulous & extravagant with relentless razzle-dazzle” – The New York Times

“Disney hits magic again!” – Associated Press

“Pure genie-us!” – USA Today

“Jaw-dropping & delightful” –  New York Magazine

Silo Cinema screenings are completely free! Silo Park is where you want to land on your Friday evening. Enjoy the sunset with dinner from one of our top notch food trucks, and finish up your night lounging on the grass for a movie, projected on the silo from 9pm.

On Friday 4 January, our favourite family of superheroes are taking the big screen. It’s been 14 years since the release of the Disney / Pixar smash hit, The Incredibles, but this time the roles have reserved with mum Helen taking the main stage. Bob is now a stay-at-home dad (it’s 2018 you see) and is trying to juggle looking after kids and saving the world from villains.

The Incredibles 2 is a family classic for little, and big, kids alike. Don’t forget your blanket or rug, and something comfy to sit on.

Rating PG – Parental Guidance
Event starts at 5.00pm with food and drinks. Movie screening starts at 9.00pm.

PLEASE NOTE: All Silo Park activities are dependent on good weather, so check the Silo Park website or Facebook page for any updates.

A whole day dedicated to the best spheres ever – unbelievabubble!

For the young, and the young at heart, come down to your favourite inner-city oasis and play with all of the bubbles! Silo Park will have teeny tiny bubbles and HUGE bubbles – all for you to play in, or make yourself.

Silo Park Bar and food trucks open til 6pm, bubbles stop blowing at 4pm.

Pops Games is a brand new interactive attraction for the whole family. A huge selection of giant outdoor games and large puzzles that are challenging fun for ages 5 years plus.

Featuring classic favourites such as Jenga, Connect 4, Box Hockey, Giant Bobs and more along with unique new games like Hanging Labyrinth, Giant Bagatelle, Tunnel Ball and more.

Challenge yourself and compete against your family and friends to be the ultimate games master!

Located in the QBE Stadium carpark for 4 weeks in January.

Summer Fun Preschool Play mornings are on Tuesdays at Windsor Reserve in Devonport, between 9:30am-11:00am, from  8 January until 26 March 2019.

A FREE fun time for preschoolers to play with big toys, be active and to make new friends. Bring your toddler and a coffee and enjoy the beautiful park.

Caregiver supervision is required and sessions are weather dependent

Summer Fun Preschool Play mornings are on Thursdays at Bayswater Park in Bayswater, between 9:30am-11:00am, from  10 January until 28 March 2019.

A FREE fun time for preschoolers to play with big toys, be active and to make new friends. Bring your toddler and a coffee and enjoy the beautiful park.

Caregiver supervision is required and sessions are weather dependent

Join Families in Parks, with a great range of Pre-School toys and we have some fantastic games and equipment for the older children. Enjoy some Family time at Milford Reserve.

Calling all budding builders to help build the biggest cardboard city Auckland has ever seen! You will get  all the (recycled and recyclable) cardboard and tools you need to help us build up the city, we just need you to give us a hand!
Silo Bar and food trucks open until 6pm, cardboard stops at 4pm.

X barks the spot in the new live show, PAW Patrol Live! “The Great Pirate Adventure”.

It’s Pirate Day in Adventure Bay, and Mayor Goodway is getting ready for a celebration! But first, Ryder and his team of pups must rescue Cap’n Turbot from a mysterious cavern. When they do, they discover a secret pirate treasure map! The PAW Patrol set out over land and sea to find the treasure before Mayor Humdinger finds it first.

Using their heroic rescue skills, problem solving and teamwork, the pups set sail to save the day in this all-new show. The PAW Patrol will need all paws on deck for this pirate adventure, including some help from the newest pup…Tracker!

The show is approximately 75 minutes with an interval.

PERFORMANCES

Saturday 12 January      10am, 1.30pm, 4.30pm
Sunday 13 January        10am, 1.30pm, 4.30pm

Drop in for this fun, hands-on afternoon at Remuera Library. There will be lots of materials and inspiration available for you to explore and create your masterpiece with.

Take your tamariki on a voyage under the sea at NZ Maritime Museum in the summer school holidays.

Join in the daily interactive children’s shows and go on an underwater adventure with fun and quirky characters. The craft station will keep families entertained with sea creature hat making.  See the daily cannon fire at midday from the concourse.

Activities run from 10am to 1:30pm and the children’s show are at 10:30am and 12:15pm on weekdays.

Activities are most suitable for ages 4–10.

Be sure to join Jeweller Neil Hanna and create your own forest treasure.

Neil’s popular, unique, and hands-on workshop will teach you the art of kapia (kauri gum polishing). Kapia (kauri gum) stocks are getting low. Grab your own special piece while you still can.

To help you create your special treasure, you will receive a piece of kapia (kauri gum), a polishing kit and a book about kapia.

1/2 hourly sessions between 10am to 2 pm each day.

Roll the dice and see what crazy alien plant you can create!

Test your drawing fun and silly side of what kind of plant you might discover beyond our earth.

Suitable for ages 5+, all children to be accompanied by an adult.

Drop in anytime between 10am and 12pm, no need to book.

Bring your kids along to Arataki for a kids “Walk on the Wild Side” Yoga Journey these school holidays.

Kids will enjoy a walk in the forest followed by a fun class where their imaginations will be ignited as they shape shift into different animal and wildlife forms (yoga poses). They will partner up and have group challenges all while getting to know each other. The session will conclude with an earthy guided relaxation to music and deep breathing to settle back into their true nature before pick up.

Ages 7 years and older

Re-wild your child this summer holidays with Arataki’s world famous in the west ‘Wild Thing @ Arataki’.
Wild Thing @ Arataki is a full on day of adventure, discovery, learning and appreciation for our amazing environment. Wild Thing is designed to give your children confidence, connection and bushcraft skills to unlock the magic of exploring the great outdoors.

Activities for the day: paracord projects, critter tracking tunnels, trangier cooking, teepee construction and hammock time.

Suitable for ages 7 years and older.

Try out some different digital skills! Make a QR code to pass on a secret message to your friend or talk to Alexa – who is that?

Build your Lego maze and then try to solve it using code at Warkworth Library. Will your Lego figure find their way out?

Suitable for ages 7 and up.

Maha and his team return to Arataki Visitor Centre this summer.

Come and make a personalised taonga/bone necklace. Enjoy a day of fun and learning with Maha Tomo (Ngai Tahu, Tainui, Ngati Kauwhata) from Toi Manawa.

Maha’s interactive workshops promote wellness and positive outcomes through creativity. Values such as tikanga (proccesses), whakawhanaungatanga (togetherness), manaakitanga (support) and mahi toi (working towards a finished art piece) are incorporated throughout the day.

Ideally suitable for kids 12 years or older. Bring a plate for shared lunch.

Once again Snowplanet will be hosting Waterslide Mania this January, a fun and exciting pop-up waterslide park that will run for 13 consecutive days.

Waterslide Mania consists of five slippery summer slides; King Cobra (60m), Two Downhill Dragsters (80m), Mega Mountain (20m) and Lightning Luge (16m)

Session times:
10:00am – 12:00pm
12:00pm – 2:00pm
2:00pm – 4:00pm

Tickets can be purchased online, if not sold out prior, tickets can also be purchased on the day at the on-site ticket booth by Cash/Eftpos.

Not all slides are suitable for all ages under 18. The intention of the Adult Pass is for adult family members to enjoy sliding with their children on the Downhill Dragster. To maintain safety/prevent slide damage, usage guidelines will be provided at the event. A maximum adult weight of 115kg applies

Come and enjoy the family Duck Duck Goose at Onehunga Community library – and complete your Dare to Explore challenges at the same time!

Movie rating: PG
Run time: 82 minutes

Come along to East Coast Bay Libraries weekly Thursday Minecraft sessions, meet other like-minded gamers and swap tips and tricks.

​This is an opportunity for young Minecrafters to get together and have an hour of play in a safe environment.

Please bring your own device (laptop, iPad, iPod, Android, etc) as library computers will unfortunately be unavailable.

You will require your own Minecraft registration and login. This is available from minecraft.net

Please note this event isn’t held during school and public holidays.

Make your own alien badge or create your own design to wear.  Drop in anytime between 10am and Noon.

When you’re done, try the Solar System Walk and complete your own Mission Sheet!

Find out more about fun activities for Gardeners of the galaxy.

Meet East Coast Bays Library at Browns Bay Beach for fun creating art in the sand using different techniques. Bring tools and buckets, hats, sunscreen, snacks and water! Please note we will meet in front of the brick public toilet building. Bookings are essential. This is a family event for children aged 5+.

Library Staff will not be able to supervise the children. All children must have their own adult with them who is supervising them at all times. No children are to be left alone. If the weather is not fine on the day, the event may be cancelled.

Please RSVP to the library.

Join the Out and About team’s Kite Day.

Build your very own kit set kite with Out and About and fly for the rest of the holidays!

Join other like-minded gamers and swap tips and tricks. Play your way or take on the library challenge. To participate you must bring your own device with Minecraft preloaded.

Silo Cinema screenings are completely free! Silo Park is where you want to land on your Friday evening. Enjoy the sunset with dinner from one of our top notch food trucks, and finish up your night lounging on the grass for a movie, projected on the silo from 9pm.

Isle of Dogs is a treat for your eyes and your hearts. A stop-motion ode to man’s best friend, loyalty and friendship. Isle of Dogs is set in dystopian near-future Japan where dogs are exiled onto Trash Island after an outbreak of canine flu. The film follows a young boy’s mission to find his lost dog on the island with the help from a group of newly-found mongrel friends.

This is a movie you don’t want to miss.

Rating PG-13 – Recommended for ages 13+

Event starts at 5.00pm with food and drinks. Movie screening starts at 9.00pm.

PLEASE NOTE: All Silo Park activities are dependent on good weather, so check the Silo Park website or Facebook page for any updates.

Join Experiencing Marine Reserves for the annual Motutapu Snorkel Day. Snorkel with experience guides and explore the Island. See baby parore, spotties, eagle rays, triplefins and snapper. Walk around the new planting, exploring the WWII gun emplacements and a picnic lunch on the beach! Bring: Togs, towel, sunhat, warm clothes, raincoat, water bottles, walking shoes, a picnic lunch and a torch if you want to explore the tunnels. Suitable for children aged 5 and above.

The 7:15am ferry leaves from Auckland CBD (arrive at ferry building by 7:00am)

Bookings required

Check out the frequently asked questions here:
https://emr.org.nz/images/emr/pdf/snorkel-days/FAQ__Information_Sheet_2018-19.docx.pdf

Join the team from Stardome Observatory & Planetarium at the Auckland Botanic Gardens and learn about our very own star, the Sun:

• Construct your very own sundial to tell the time of day by observing sunlight shadows
• Experiment with light to discover the invisible power of the Sun
• Learn about how we view the Sun differently through the day as well as through the year
• Find out answers to your astronomical questions!

Suitable for children aged 12+, accompanied by a parent.

Bookings required: Please bring your ticket on the day (printed or on your phone).

Book your ticket for the time-slot you’d like to attend on Saturday 19 January – the hour-long session is repeated hourly at 10am, 11am, 1pm and 2pm. Please book for the number of children attending (all children to be accompanied by an adult).

Come dig for buried treasure!! Fun day out for all the family

Takapuna is your ultimate summer destination because the Summer Days Festival is happening on the 19th of January at Takapuna Beach Reserve. This event is open to the whole community so bring your friends, family, and loved ones and celebrate summer.

Starting at 11am, bring the kids over and enjoy a wide variety of family entertainment including stage shows, circus and theatre workshops, face painting, a giant slide, a beach dig and heaps more. Meet the Vodafone Warriors! From 11am-12pm

From 3pm until 7pm, jam with amazing local artists as they perform your favourite hits on stage. Wear your jandals and bring a picnic or try any of the local restaurants around Taka or food trucks on site and get ready for a chill summer day.

Celebrate the cultural diversity at the 10th Japanese Kids’ Festival at Milford School!

The festival has food, music, drum performances, art, craft corners and games that represent Japanese culture!

Gather up the family for an afternoon of fun and music at Kids Music in Parks at Coyle Park. Curated by the beloved Suzy Cato (who’ll also be performing her well-known favourites!), there’s a packed line-up of talented kid’s music artists to entertain -you and your little ones will be singing and dancing along in no time!

Event line-up: Itty Bitty Beats and Petite Music Box, Kahuna Kidsongs, Anna van Riel Music, Mr Roberelli, Captain Festus McBoyle’s Travellin’ Variety Show.

Accessibility: Very limited event mobility parking, but there is a drop-off point at event entry. Accessible toilets available.

A team of young people jump through a series of discoveries and moving installations as they reframe art, architecture and the spectacular historic grounds of Pah Homestead using music, dance and story.

Mixit is excited to announce it’s 13th annual summer show Jump Cut! Mixit shows are guaranteed to be vibrant, energetic, thought provoking and suitable for all ages.

With an introduction to the layers of history and the shoulders on which they stand (the volcanic geography, the Maori and Colonial footprints and the more recent home of contemporary visual arts) the performers will create a series of installations set in unexpected places throughout the site and grounds.

Audiences can anticipate a roaming experience guided through the landscape, following the threads of stories and characters, and becoming part of the event as it weaves together.

Pah Homstead’s park-like grounds offer a perfect summer occasion for a family picnic. Round it off with a live arts encounter led by this multicultural team of young people from all walks of life and backgrounds.

Performances are on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 January at 2pm and 6pm

Grab your friends and family and head along to experience the fun and excitement and make the most of the warm summer nights at Rainbow’s End.

Be catapulted through the sky on Stratosfear, dropped to the ground on the Fearfall or spun through the night on the Invader – the atmosphere is magical at night under all the lights!

Time to wind down after the Christmas frenzy. Bring a picnic blanket and hamper and enjoy a relaxed day of fun in the sun at Howick Historical Vilalge. Traditional outdoor games, such as Tug-O-War and croquet, story telling and entertainment by Mike the Magician this is a great family day out before school goes back.

Snorkelling at Calypso Bay (weather dependent), walks around the pest free island and a picnic lunch on the beach!

Join  Experiencing Marine Reserves for the annual Motuihe Snorkel Day. Snorkel and explore the Island with a subsidised ferry ticket!

Ever wondered what lives under the water at Motuihe Island in the Hauraki Gulf? Join Experiencing Marine Reserves for a snorkel with our experienced guides and get FREE mask, snorkel, fins & wetsuit hire. Ferry tickets are $25 each + a booking fee. Safe fun for the whole whanau! Bring:  Togs, towel, sunhat, warm clothes, raincoat, water bottles, walking shoes, a picnic lunch. Please note that there will be up to a ~45min walk to get from the wharf to the snorkel site. Reasonable level of fitness required. Suitable for children aged 5 and above.

Ferry leaves from Auckland CBD ferry building at 7:15am. You need to arrive at the ferry building by 7:00am at the latest.

Check out the frequently asked questions here:
https://emr.org.nz/images/emr/pdf/snorkel-days/FAQ__Information_Sheet_2018-19.docx_2.pdf

Join the Out and About team for a morning of fun arts and crafts in the park! A variety of different art activities to try out, see what you can create to take home! Giant games, swing balls and music make these events a great outing for the whole family!

Come and join Summer Fun Pre-School Play at Lake House Arts Centre.Meet other Parents and Caregivers while your little ones play with our great range of toys.

The Lake House Arts Centre also offers art sessions for Pre-Schoolers indoors.

Pre-School art play will continue as scheduled even in the event of adverse weather. Best of all, Its FREE!

Join the Out and About team for a morning of fun arts and crafts in the park! A variety of different art activities to try out, see what you can create to take home! Giant games, swing balls and music make these events a great outing for the whole family!

Calling all scientists and explorers! Discover the giants of our forest!  Suitable for kids aged 7 to 12 years old.

Join the Arataki Education Rangers on a journey into nature. Uncover the secrets of the giant Kauri and their forest friends. This is an awesome quest into the forest where you will be exploring, learning and having fun on our Keep Kauri Standing adventure!

You’ll need to pack a lunch and bring your outdoor survival gear.

Bookings essential. Be quick. (09) 892 4777

Join the Out and About team’s Kite Day.

Built your very own kit set kite with Out and About and fly for the rest of the holidays!

Drop in any time between 10am-12 and explore the Potter Children’s Garden through the eyes of an alien on their first visit to Earth. Go on a hunt to find some natural treasures and discover more about our planet’s special habitats, plants and animals.

Bring a large empty egg carton to create a collection box for your specimens. Take home a Zinnia seed – the first type of flower ever grown in space!

Suitable for ages 3+. Children must be supervised by a parent or guardian at all times.

This activity forms part of the Gardeners of the galaxy programme at Auckland Botanic Gardens – check it out here: http://www.aucklandbotanicgardens.co.nz/whats-on/gardeners-of-the-galaxy/

Summer’s well and truly arrived and Auckland Live have got another round of FREE live acts, refreshing drinks and plenty of sunshine to keep you on your summertime buzz!

On Thursday 25 January listen to Arthur Ahbez + Vincent H.L  from 5pm to 7pm.

Acid folk troubadour Arthur Ahbez joins the creator of one of Flying Out Record’s top twenty albums of 2018 for an eclectic, psychedelic country-tinged late afternoon session.

The Festival is an opportunity to share the Brazilian culture, our passion, joy and warmth with New Zealanders.

The Festival is a fun family friendly day with a vibrant atmosphere surrounded by the Brazilian culture, food, music and dance.

Visitors can taste the authentic Brazilian food, find unique products, enjoy a colorful park festival and get inspired by the variety of tastes, looks, sounds and people.

World Class Talent will be hitting the streets of Auckland, New Zealand for the Nineteenth time over Auckland Anniversary Weekend 2019.

Acrobats, magicians, comedies, unicycle champions and more will rendezvous around Auckland’s CBD and waterfront to create the electrifying atmosphere that is the Auckland International Buskers Festival!

Day shows start every day at 12 noon. Night shows run on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 7.30pm in Market Square, Viaduct Harbour. Check out the full schedule and festival map to plan your fun-filled Auckland Anniversary Weekend!

Annual Rodders Beach Festival with hundreds of classic cars and hot rods on display.

Live entertainment, market stalls, food stalls, a drive-in-movie and more! It’s a family fun weekend you do not want to miss! All proceeds going to Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust. Tickets are available to purchase on our website for car entry. FREE admission for public entry – we do have buckets for gold coins where we would appreciate a donation. In association with Hibiscus Rodders Incorporated.

Silo Park is where you want to land on your Friday evening. Enjoy the sunset with dinner from one of our top-notch food trucks, and finish up your night lounging on the grass for a movie, projected on Silo 7 from 9pm.

On Friday 25 January, Auckland Anniversary Weekend, they will be screening a Kiwi classic – Whale Rider. Set in the East Coast town of Whāngārā, Whale Rider tells the tale of a young Māori girl, Pai, who challenges tradition and embraces the past in order to find the strength to lead her people forward. Directed and written by Niki Caro, the film is based on Witi Ihimaera’s novel The Whale Rider. Coupling a specific sense of place and culture with a universal coming-of-age story, Whale Rider became one of the most successful and acclaimed New Zealand films released internationally.

Rated PG – Parental Guidance

Event starts at 5.00pm with food and drinks. Movie screening starts at 9.00pm.

Silo Cinema is, as always, free!

PLEASE NOTE: All Silo Park activities are dependent on good weather, so check the website or Facebook page for any updates.

Summer’s well and truly arrived and Auckland Live have got another round of FREE live acts, refreshing drinks and plenty of sunshine to keep you on your summertime buzz!

On Friday 25 January listen to DJ Jack’s Hit House  from Sydney.
Sydney’s funtime party DJ’s record collection spans all eras and genres, and he’s renowned for mixes that get the party people absolutely buck-wild.

Back by popular demand, Vector Lights will be celebrating the long Auckland Anniversary weekend with a replay of the launch show, as we continue to share our vision of creating a smart energy future. Shows will play from 9pm, every 15 minutes.

Some suggestions of where to watch Vector Lights:

• Little Shoal Bay, Northcote
• Bayswater Marina
• Mt Victoria, Devonport
• Queens Parade, Devonport
• Bastion Point
• Auckland waterfront
• Harbour View Beach Reserve, Te Atatū Peninsula
• Sentinel Beach, Herne Bay
• Mt Eden

The Auckland Folk Festival is New Zealand’s largest folk music and dance festival. Come and celebrate the 46th annual festival at the Kumeu Showgrounds on Auckland Anniversary Weekend.

With international guest artists, musicians from around New Zealand and six stages there is something for everyone!

A full dance programme is complemented by music from early until late, a kids stage and jams that go well into the night. The Recorded Music Tui for Best Folk Artist is presented on Sunday, alongside performances from the finalists. The Auckland Folk Festival presents folk music from around the world, including English, Irish, Scottish and American.

The Festival will kick off Friday evening at 7pm, and music will run til late on Sunday night!

Celebrating Anniversary weekend the Latin way, through music, food, dance, language, arts and crafts. FREE entry the whole weekend to enjoy the free introductory dance lessons, live bands & DJs, party nights, kids area including face painter, sandy art and games, football tournament, cultural market and more.

Opening hours: Saturday 10am to 11pm; Sunday 10am to 11pm and Monday 10am to 4pm

Main Stage Schedule:

10.00am Salsa DJ
11.00am Zumba w Javiera (Viva Dance)
12.00pm AK Samba
12.30pm Tango lesson w Cecile & Nigel
1.30pm Salsa w Vivio (Cuban Groove)
2.30pm Salsa DJ
4.00pm Fiesta end

Grab the kids and your fishing rods and head on down to Wynyard Quarter on Auckland’s Waterfront between 10am-12pm on Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th of January for some quality family fun. No registrations needed, just come along on the day.

Why you should go?
1. It’s FREE!
2. FREE sausage sizzle
3. FREE bait
4. FREE handlines (limited number)
5. FREE face painting for the kids
6. Plenty of SPOT PRIZES!
7. Fishing legend and all around great guy Graeme Sinclair will be there

Free Fishing Event run by New Zealand Blue Light and with support from AA Insurance and Panuku Development Auckland.

Photo Laundry is an international outdoor photography exhibition first started in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in 2010 by Andrei Kezin. More than 90,000 people from 40 cities across 7 countries have participated in the project in the last nine years. Photo Laundry debuted in Auckland in 2014.

The concept of the event is simple: photographers of all skill level are welcome to showcase their work in the improvised gallery made of washing lines using pegs.

In return for displaying their works participants are free to take prints that took their fancy with them.

Let’s get creative this year and celebrate nearly 10 years of Photo Laundry!

Photo Laundry is a free community art project presented by Little Unique.

Summer’s well and truly arrived and Auckland Live have FREE live music acts  to keep you on your summertime buzz!

Auckland Anniversary Weekend Line Up on Saturday 26 January is DJ ORIKoL (Burundi) from 4pm to 8pm. The spirit of the dance looms large in DJ ORIKoL’s sets, which channel Afro beats, infectious fun and sweat ‘til you drop style.