News - 2025 Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Arts Festival reveals full programme
Today following an enthusiastic response to previous announcements A Streetcar Named Desire and SIX The Musical, the 2025 Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Arts Festival programme has been revealed.
Each March, the Festival celebrates the city through a series of curious, energetic, world leading and groundbreaking arts experiences. The eighteen day festival, running from Thursday 6 - Sunday 23 March 2025, will invite audiences from across the motu to fall in love with Tāmaki Makaurau through the arts.
“The 2025 Festival is all about inviting audiences to be curious, have fun, and fall in love with Tāmaki Makaurau through the arts,” says Bernie Haldane, Kaitohu Toi | Artistic Director of Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Arts Festival. “This year’s programme is bursting with vibrant experiences that will not only inspire but also celebrate the heart and soul of our city. Whether you are discovering a new artist, dancing in the last of the summer sun, or joining in the good vibes of Festival Garden, there’s something for everyone to enjoy and we hope you will be left seeing our city in a new light.”
Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Arts Festival will open with a free event in Aotea Square Kia Kori! Let’s Move!, a dance party hosted by Betty-Anne of Ardijah, Thomas Stowers and Julia Deans, with grooves from legendary band, The Levites, before taking the opening night energy to events across the city.
Aotea Square will be home to the Festival Garden and Spiegeltent - the social centre of the Festival. Whether it’s after work drinks with friends, enjoying live music, or a quick break from dashing from an exhilarating matinee to a wondrous evening performance, artists and audiences are invited to indulge in the Festival energy. Weekend fun, including Whānau Day on the first weekend, will be the opportunity for our Tamariki to take over the space, exploring art and activities for free.
Audiences will experience a great night out that is bright, bold and full of joy with the fun, high energy and a little bit naughty, SMASHED - the Nightcap, an Australian award-winning cabaret featuring fierce drag and circus. Animal - Cirque Alfonse from Canada debuts a hysterically funny and ridiculous circus show suitable for adults and children alike, and the Soweto Gospel Choir bring their extraordinary talent from South Africa with two different shows in the festival line-up, one celebrating the history of House dance music with an Aria-nominated DJ, the second showcasing traditional gospel freedom songs.
American contemporary dance company, Lula Washington Dance Theatre from Los Angeles will appear in Aotearoa for the first time ever, with international premieres of two brand new, dynamic works. Fresh from Edinburgh Fringe, New Zealand company Trick of the Light will present Suitcase Show using beautiful dioramas to tell stories of love and death. Personal by Jodee Mundy (Australia) will bring a blend of performance, storytelling, multimedia and animation about the contradictions of living in two worlds. The atmospheric and immersive Belle - A Performance of Air by NZ collaborators Malia Johnston, Rowan Pierce and Eden Mullholand, will encompass a mesmerising fusion of theatre and aerial arts. All of these shows join the previously announced exclusive NZ season of Scottish Ballet’s powerful adaptation of A Streetcar Named Desire, and Auckland Theatre Company’s A Mixtape for Maladies, contemporary Asian storytelling at its best. The Festival’s development programme, “Seed of an Idea” will feature a reading of Ngā Whakamāoritanga | Translations, a play about language and its importance to our existence.
The middle weekend of the Festival sees musical artists let their souls sing with Toiere, a specially curated selection of opera arias that have been translated into te reo Māori and featuring a commission of a new aria for the 2025 Festival, and Island Vibes, a silky smooth summer-nights band immersed deep in the soul of the Pacific.
2025 will see the introduction of the first Indigenous Music Series for the Festival and Aotearoa. E ai ki te kōrero a te Kaihautū Māori, a Ataahua Papa, “He kaupapa whakahirahira tēnei. He tuatahitanga tēnei ki te Ahurei, ki Tāmaki Makaurau, ki Aotearoa hoki. Ko te kaupapa matua o tēnei kohinga puoro, ko te rere o te reo Māori, ko te rere o ngā reo taketake o te ao hoki ki ngā tōpito katoa o Tāmaki Makaurau i tēnei tau, tae noa ki ngā tau kei te heke mai”.
Whiua ki te Ao: A celebration of waiata reo Māori will feature the stunning vocals of Maisey Rika and a collective of talented musicians responsible for the recent release of Aotearoa Songbook. Maya Piata uses her eclectic background to mould her own unique style by pulling inspiration from her hometown, New Orleans, alongside the rich culture of her New Zealand roots. Kulāiwi & Kaumakaiwa are performers, songwriters and composers engaging indigenous Hawaiian thought to address today's issues through music, chant and sharing of spirit. Delbert Anderson mixes traditional sounds with jazz - tunes inspired by the Navajo Nation landscape, historical events and a desire to preserve and educate about Diné history.
Joining the Festival’s music slate is Tami Neilson: The F Word, bringing a feminist country songbook for International Women's Day, and Irish performer Camile O’Sullivan with a dedication to the songs of Sinēad O’Connor, Leonard Cohen, David Bowie and more.
Witness fascinating histories with the already announced exclusive NZ season of global pop phenomenon SIX the Musical, a high-octane musical experience about the wives of Henry VIII. Audiences can discover the star of the silver screen and inventor of the tech that resulted in WiFi in HEDY! The Life & Inventions of Hedy Lamarr, and revisit the legendary Gene Kelly - A Life In Music for one night only with restored film clips, music performed byAuckland Philharmonia, and live on-stage narration from his widow Patricia Kelly.
Closing the Festival will be iconic Aotearoa dance company Black Grace with their new work This is Not a Retrospective, an interactive dance party celebrating 30 years.
Throughout the Festival will be audio described, NZSL interpreted and relaxed performances.
The Festival’s award-winning Access & Inclusion initiative provides low-cost tickets to our Deaf and disabled communities, and the ticket for their companion is provided for free. (Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Arts Festival received the Arts Access Creative New Zealand Arts For All Award in 2018.).
Tamariki and adult learners will have the chance to interact with the Festival through school matinees, a programme of master classes and a whānau day of activities geared towards younger audiences. The Festival has 3,000 free tickets available to school students for school bookings to selected shows.
Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Arts Festival 2025 is supported by core funders Auckland Council and Creative New Zealand, major funder Foundation North, and a suite of trusts, partners, patrons and donors, who together help the Festival deliver its unique programme of events every March.
Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Arts Festival
6 March 2025 – 23 March 2025
Presented across Tāmaki Makaurau in venues and outdoor spaces including a Festival hub in Aotea Square, throughout the heart of the city, and around the Auckland region.
Tickets for all shows are on sale now at https://www.aaf.co.nz/

‘Rain’, ‘April Sun In Cuba’, ‘Are You Old Enough’ tunes we all know, tunes we all love and tunes we’ll all see live and in the flesh on Saturday 2 August at Spark Arena.
Tāmaki Makaurau’s iconic street festival is back, and bigger than ever in every way imaginable! Yes, the first line-up of 29 mind-boggling acts for The Others Way has dropped, and yes, Saturday 29 November across Karangahape Road just became unmissable.
Produced by Recorded Music NZ, the Aotearoa Music Awards tonight celebrated a standout group of Tūī winners at the Viaduct Events Centre in Tāmaki Makaurau, closing out Te Marama Puoro o Aotearoa | New Zealand Music Month with a bang.
Live Nation is proud to announce local act Phoebe Rings will join Japanese Breakfast at the Auckland Winter Series line up at the Auckland Town Hall this June. Tickets to their June 7 show are on sale now.
Live Nation is proud to announce multi-instrumentalist Delaney Davidson will join Sir Dave Dobbyn as special guest at the Auckland Winter Series line up at the Auckland Town Hall this June.
With over three decades of shared experience, success Bone-Thugs-n-Harmony are relishing a new chapter of opportunity and greatness – reuniting to create new music and tour internationally once more!
Ready to take these new tracks on the road, The Grogans new album Stagger is out, plus the band are excited to announce a headline tour across New Zealand.
Australia and New Zealand will welcome two of the most distinctive voices in the Nordic music world when Eivør and Sylvaine (solo) join forces for an unforgettable tour across both countries in March 2026.
Following the thunderous announcement of Goodshirt and Fur Patrol, today we add another local heavyweight to the bill – the one and only Stellar*.
GRAMMY® nominated US band OneRepublic, headed up by acclaimed singer/songwriter and lead vocalist Ryan Tedder, announce their highly anticipated return to Australia and New Zealand for The Sweet Escape Tour in February 2026.
Multi-award-winning South African-New Zealander Urzila Carlson is one of Australian and New Zealand's biggest comedy stars, and she's bringing her trademark cheeky wit back to New Zealand stages in 2025 with the 'You Don't Say’ Tour.
Multi-platinum singer-songwriter Rob Thomas today announced three nationwide New Zealand dates on his global The All Night Days Tour, celebrating his forthcoming sixth solo album All Night Days and the 20th anniversary of his acclaimed debut solo record …Something to Be.
Amble, the critically acclaimed three-piece folk group hailing from Ireland, today announce their return to Australia and New Zealand in February 2026, in support of their highly anticipated debut album, Reverie.
Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland-based indie darlings Daily J have announced their 'One For The Road' New Zealand tour before making the jump across the ditch to Australia later this year.
Brant Bjork has spent over a quarter of a century at the heart of California’s desert rock scene. Now in 2025, he’s bringing his band to New Zealand for three exlusive shows, thanks to Waxstar Touring and Valhalla Touring.
Neema Naz, stand-up comedian and content creator, announces his “My Estupid Life’ tour for Australia and New Zealand.
Frontier Touring is hyped to announce 19-year-old, alternative-pop artist sombr will make his Australia and New Zealand headline debut this December.
Finalists have been announced for Breakthrough Artist of the Year for this year's Aotearoa Music Awards, as well as the first performers for the show.
With tickets for all cities on sale at 1pm today, promoters are excited to announce a second and final Auckland show for Swedish post-punkers Viagra Boys – bringing their riotous show to New Zealand for the very first time next January.
TEG Live is thrilled to announce GRAMMY Award-winning singer-songwriter Maren Morris has announced New Zealand tour dates for her highly anticipated The Dreamsicle Tour, bringing Maren’s signature sound and fearless storytelling to the New Zealand fans.
Live Nation is proud to present the full Auckland Winter Series line up at the Auckland Town Hall this June featuring Sir Dave Dobbyn, TEEKS, Mall Grab and Japanese Breakfast.
Rock n Roll Hall of fame inductees and legends of rock, ZZ Top, are thrilled to announce Australian singer, songwriter and guitar slinger, Dallas Frasca, as support on the 2025 New Zealand dates for The Elevation Tour this May.
Daniel returns to the comedy festival circuit in 2025 with a brand new show about family (or street racing) – ‘You May Be White, I May Be Crazy’.
Following a sold-out rampage across Australia last November – and currently tearing through a riotous world tour in support of their new album, viagr aboys – Swedish post-punkers V**gra Boys announce their live return in January, including the band’s first visit to Aotearoa with the infinite anxiety tour of 2026: australia and new zealand.
In October 2026, the seven seas are calling with Australia's first ever dedicated metal cruise Hellbound - and Australia has answered, with Hellbound completely selling out in a mere seven minutes during their pre-sale.
You know the date (Saturday 2 August) you know the venue (Spark Arena) and now we’re going to open the door a little wider revealing the first act for The Biggest Pub Gig In The World.
Frontier Touring is excited to announce the return of US country star, Jackson Dean as he brings his On The Back Of My Dreams World Tour to Australia and New Zealand this October.
Following his highly anticipated return to Europe and the massive success of his 2024 North American tour, multi platinum, 8-time GRAMMY award-winning, global entertainment icon USHER announced the Australian leg of his highly praised USHER: Past Present Future 2025 Global Tour.
In response to growing demand, Australian online comedy star, Andrew Hamilton will tour New Zealand for the very first time this June with his award-nominated, critically acclaimed debut show ‘Jokes About the Time I Went to Prison’.
Australian singer/songwriter grentperez is bringing The Backflips In A Restaurant Tour to theatres across Australia and New Zealand this October and November!