Shows
Set to stun
Meet family circus act The Fabelinskys this New Zealand Fringe Festival in a fabulous and breathtaking comedy-drama set in a travelling circus in the 1890s.
Va-va-voom
Get heart eyes and belly butterflies this Valentine’s Day at Heart Throb – The Breakup Drag Show at Ivy Bar and Cabaret. This drag show isn’t just for the lovers, but for the heartbroken and villains too.
Enchanted to meet you
Want to see Taylor Swift’s famous cat Olivia Benson shaking their tail feather onstage, or an epic Bad Blood battle round a pole? Caburlesque will swiftly bring the superstar’s hits to The Fringe Bar on the 1st of February.
Mischief and mayhem
Fun! Fun! Fun is on its way to Carterton, Lower Hutt, and Paraparaumu with Dr Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat – Live on Stage careening into theatres this 15th, 16th, and 17th of January.
Have yourself…
A Very Merry Caburlesque! New Zealand’s longest-running burlesque-meets-cabaret variety show will deck The Fringe Bar with boughs of holly and sequins strung on feather boas on the 7th of December.
Naughty or nice?
Ms. Claus is single and ready to mingle (and jingle)! That’s why she’s signed up for PopRox’s Ms. Christmas Bachelorette, a Christmas-themed, improvised dating show at Hannah Playhouse on the 13th of December.
Jeepers, creepers!
Zoinks! Something is afoot down at Ivy Bar and Cabaret. The Mystery Inc gang are in the house, but they need your help to crack the case at Scooby Doo Drag Show on the 22nd of November.
Howdy, folks
Saddle up for a hullabaloo, Carterton! Friday Laughs is coming to Carterton Events Centre on the 15th of November with Wilson Dixon, Lesa MacLeod-Whiting, and local laugh legends in tow.
Music
Toe-tapping, heart-warming
Known for their tight harmonies, engaging stage presence, and capacity to build a genuine connection with audiences, American family band The Petersens are heading our way for the first time.
Get set to sweat
For the first time in nearly 15 years, American punk legends Hot Water Music will come crashing into Valhalla on the 11th of February along their 30th anniversary tour.
This is forever
The legendary SIX60 will hit Brewtown in Upper Hutt on the 1st of February. We caught up with bassist Chris Mac about the Grassroots Tour City Edition and more.
Reach for the sun
We chat to bassist Peter Hamilton of Solar Daze about the six-piece neo-soul group’s new single Don’t Fall and upcoming release party at Meow on the 12th of December.
A release and a rallying cry
Wellington-based indie rock artist Bianca Bailey – known as Wiri Donna – has just unleashed her new EP In My Chambers and is taking to the road with her full band to celebrate it.
Dean & Britta On Fire
Dean Wareham takes us through his career highlights – from playing Glastonbury with Galaxie 500 to supporting The Velvet Underground with Luna to meeting David Bowie with Dean & Britta, who are coming to Welly this summer.
Ragers and romance
Highly Suspect will shred the stage at TSB Arena on the 29th of November. We were lucky enough to Zoom with frontman Johnny Stevens about the tour, which supports the rock band’s latest opus As Above, So Below (2024).
Cellular change
With her next album Enter Now Brightness set for release in February 2025, acclaimed Kiwi singer-songwriter Nadia Reid journeys back from her new home in the UK for a series of pre-summer shows.
Movies
Wellington Silver Screeners: Vincent Ward
Vincent Ward is one of Aotearoa’s filmmaking heavyweights, with titles the likes of Map of the Human Heart and What Dreams May Come in his oeuvre. I had the honour of hearing some of his stories.
A smorgasbord of shorts
Be voracious, Wellington! Show Me Shorts Film Festival is coming to Wellington’s Light House Cuba cinema between the 16th and 23rd of October to serve up bite-sized morsels of movie magic.
Steadfast storytelling
A celebration of documentary storytelling, Doc Edge Film Festival takes audiences to the far reaches of the globe and into the heart of humanity. Explore every facet of life from Te Auaha and The Roxy Cinema from the 3rd to the 14th of July.
Furious filmmaking
Can you make a film in just two days? Come watch Wellington’s finalists of the Vista Foundation 48Hours film competition at the Embassy Theatre on the 5th of July.
Crème de la crème
The French Film Festival is the liaison of the saison – check out all kinds of flicks coming to cinemas across the Wellington Region from the 5th to the 26th of June.
Cinema Italiano
For one night only on the 22nd of May, Southern Cross Garden Bar Restaurant will transport cinephiles to the orange-hued land of la dolce vita at The Show Me Shorts Italian Short Film Night.
Wellington Silver Screeners: Bevin Linkhorn
In this edition of Wellington Silver Screeners, Alessia Belsito-Riera chats with Wellingtonian Bevin Linkhorn. Producer of Masters of the Muralverse and Extreme Cake Sports, Bevin has a diverse portfolio and an exciting year ahead.
Humanising the gaze
Argentinian film Labyrinth of the Moons snakes its way through themes of identity, motherhood, and trans childhood – catch a rare screening on the 6th of March during the Wellington Pride Festival.
Art
The world in other ways
Glimpse Aotearoa in the Japanese style of ukiyo-e at Alistair McDonald’s newest showcase Auckland in the Style of Hiroshige at Exhibitions Gallery from the 13th of February to the 8th of March.
Your very own galaxy
Discover out-of-this-world sculptures made by Kapiti-based creative Russell Woodley.
Stories of resilience
Boro – Timeworn Textiles of Japan is an exhibition featuring mended clothing that’s as much about sewing as it is about storytelling. Catch it at Pātaka Art + Museum until the 9th of March.
Time, memory, whakapapa
Encounter four artists’ personal archives as they explore time, memory, and whakapapa. City Gallery Te Whare Toi’s Meditations takes up residence in the National Library Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa until the 1st of March.
Radical and revolutionary
When Toss Woolaston started painting portraits he ushered in the modernist era in New Zealand. Peruse a snapshot of his work at New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakaata’s Toss Woollaston: Figures from Life exhibition until the 9th of February.
Ode to solitude
Gavin Chai crafts scenes of contemporary life that capture an individual’s inner world. In his newest exhibition Ode to solitude at Page Galleries until the 30th of November, he showcases his new ceramic works.
What could be
Making her first foray into painting with colour, Swiss Kiwi artist Sarah Albisser presents a metallic dreamscape exhibition titled Waves of Reflection at Twentysix Gallery until the 16th of November.
Collection of creativity
Vincents Art Workshop is an art initiative by the community, for the community. Check out what Wellingtonians have been making in the public art space over the last year at the annual exhibition that runs until the 6th of November.
Events
Just awful
Brace yourself, dear reader / For the worst poem you’re ever gonna read-a / In celebration of the / Anti-Slam
Boom
Till death do us part
The most macabre matrimony is set to take place at Old St Paul’s this 28th of September. Witness the union of two of Wellington’s most lascivious lovers in Wedlock: A Drag Affair.
Building blocks
Imagination incarnate, LEGO® are the building blocks of creativity. Come play at the Wellington Brick Show in Lower Hutt’s Walter Nash Stadium from the 14th to the 15th of September.
Drawing the world
Illustrations leap off the page and come to life at the Picture Me Festival. Catch workshops, events, talks, and exhibitions across Wellington between the 11th and 19th of September.
The lioness of literature
We caught up with Katherine Mansfield House and Garden director Cherie Jacobson about Lioness of Literature: Talking Books with Emily Perkins, a fundraising event for the iconic Category 1 Historic Place and writer’s museum.
Poetic brush strokes
For Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day on the 24th of August, four of Wellington’s queer poets converge at Te Auaha to present some of their work and chat about their love of letters.
Murderous mayhem
On a dark and stormy night, something is afoot in the town of Ravenswood Bluff. Solve the mystery before the town devolves into madness with a round of the bluffing game Blood on the Clocktower on the 29th of June at Thistle Hall.
A musical rite of passage
Come and cheer on the young musicians shredding it at the Smokefreerockquest Wellington Regional Final on the 8th of June at Sacred Heart College from 7pm.
Personalities
He shoots… he scores!
We sat down with rising football star Joaquin Hollis, who has been selected as one of just 10 players under the age of 10 to represent New Zealand at the prestigious Barcelona Academy World Cup.
A round of a-paws
Bluey’s Big Play, the theatrical adaptation of the award-winning animated children’s TV series Bluey, is about to have its New Zealand premiere. We interviewed puppetry director Jacob Williams.
A decade of Regional News
This January is our birthday – the big 1-0. As we round up the past decade of Regional News, you might be able to help us settle a debate: should our 10th birthday party be dinosaur or Spider-Man themed?
Wellington Silver Screeners: Dana Leaming
Now the proud creative force behind the show Not Even, Dana Leaming tells Alessia all about her journey, gushes about Wellington, and chats about the inspiration behind her hit TV show.
High on Life
American comedian Josh Wolf will be back on New Zealand soil this Valentine’s Day, and he couldn’t be more excited. Catch his brand-new comedy hour High on Life featuring his son Jacob.
Sunshine on a cloudy day
We round up another year as we prepare to close up shop for our summer break. Happy holidays to you and yours from all of us here at Regional News.
Living the dream
For the first time in the show’s history, RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under featured a Wellington-based drag queen. Olivia Dreams spills the tea about her experience.
Humanity’s maddest edges
Take a deep dive into the world of psychopaths and mental health labelling with best-selling author Jon Ronson on the 26th of November at The Opera House.