Wellington Events and Festivals

Summer City Festival: this popular festival kicks off Wellington’s busy annual events schedule. More than 70 free events of all kinds are planned throughout the month. Concerts are held along the waterfront, Shakespeare is performed at the Botanic Garden and a cultural festival celebrating Pacific Islanders is observed.

Wellington Race Cup Meeting: three days of top horseracing mark the beginning of New Zealand’s racing season. The best thoroughbreds and jockeys come to town with the climax being the main race on the final day. Street parades, golf tournaments and other fun events are planned around the races.

Cuba Street Carnival: the country’s largest and most impressive street festival is one of Wellington’s main events of the year. Taking place over a weekend, seven stages are set up to showcase music, dance, films, and other cultural events. Food stalls, street entertainers and a night parade add to the celebration of cultural diversity in the city.

New Zealand International Arts Festival: New Zealand’s biggest single cultural event features international art from all genres and all corners of the globe. Jazz concerts, opera, comedy shows and traditional dance performances are just a taste of the events lined up each year. This event attracts the most talented artists from around the country and the southern hemisphere.

Wellington Fringe Festival: loosely tied to the massive International Arts Festival, this special event focuses more on offbeat forms of art. The theme at the Fringe is to promote and encourage avant garde, bizarre and sometimes controversial performance arts, visual arts, music and dance.

Wellington Dragon Boat Festival: thousands of people flock to the waterfront district for this fascinating and highly competitive rowing boat race. Inspired by an ancient Chinese legend, some 70 boat teams race over the course of the weekend. Onshore, there are food stalls, cultural performances, and street entertainers to keep things buzzing.

Golden Shears: New Zealand has a long tradition of farming sheep. This three-day international festival brings the best sheep handlers to the small town of Masterton for a major showdown. Competitions include the main sheep shearing contest, along with wool handling and other more frivolous activities. It’s always a fun time, and a great way to experience the working side of New Zealand’s sheep heritage.

Matariki: the Maori New Year is celebrated with the public at the Te Papa Museum. Wonderful cultural events are planned over two weeks including storytelling, traditional dance and lectures about Maori culture.

Wellington Film Festival: New Zealand’s nationwide film festival stops at Wellington each July to showcase the best films from the past year. What began in 1972 with just seven films has grown into one of the world’s premier home-style film festivals. Thanks to the popularity of movies like Lord of the Rings, and the presence of New Zealander Peter Jackson, Wellington continues to grow as one of the world’s hottest film locations.

Montana World of Wearable Art: in one of the most bizarre events in the world, where entrants from around the globe come to Wellington to compete in a costume contest that is unlike any other. Always sold out, this fascinating contest shows off the most creative and outrageous costumes imaginable. It’s become something of a cult event, and well worth catching if you can get a ticket.

Montana Wellington International Jazz Festival: one of the city’s premier jazz festivals comes to town every spring to help get people in the mood for summer. A superb lineup of international and hometown musicians take the stage at a variety of venues around the city.

Toast Martinborough Festival: the nearby town of Martinborough is renowned for its wine production. Each spring the town puts on a special festival based around food, wine and music to promote itself and let visitors enjoy the excellent wines being made in the region. A special festival train runs from Wellington to the town, adding to the fun of this event.

Thorndon Fair: each December, the charming historic district of Thorndon puts on a fair to celebrate its heritage and the beautiful summer season. City dwellers travel out to the suburbs for this great little event featuring local craftsmen, artists, cafés and wineries. Street performers create a fun and colourful scene, and there are some great buys to be had if you get out here early enough.