Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts

Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts takes place Feb - Mar 2028 (biennial, even years; the 2026 edition ran Feb 24 - Mar 15) in Wellington, New Zealand. The dress code is Smart casual with layers and a windproof jacket - Wellington is famously gusty even in late summer. Typical cost ranges from 350 to 1000 EUR per person.

Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts in Wellington, New Zealand
Photograph by New Zealand Government, Office of the Governor-General, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia.

New Zealand's flagship multi-arts festival, presenting theatre, music, dance and literature in the capital with a strong Maori and Pacific presence. Held biennially in even years, it mixes international companies with homegrown premieres across three weeks. The next edition follows in early 2028.

When
Feb - Mar 2028 (biennial, even years; the 2026 edition ran Feb 24 - Mar 15)
Where
Wellington, New Zealand
Dress code
Smart casual with layers and a windproof jacket - Wellington is famously gusty even in late summer.
Cost
Typical cost ranges from 350 to 1000 EUR per person.
Weather
16 - 22C, mild but breezy late Wellington summer
When to book
Programme launches in the preceding spring; book headline shows and hotels soon after
Getting there
WLG (Wellington), 20 min to the city centre
Where to stay
InterContinental Wellington, QT Wellington
Official site
https://www.festival.nz

How to attend

Buy tickets via festival.nz and iTicket when the biennial programme launches (roughly the preceding spring); many free public events run alongside. Because it is biennial, plan for the 2028 edition rather than 2027. Wellington is compact, so most venues are walkable from central hotels.

The festival is biennial and the next edition is in 2028 - its programme and tickets are not released until closer to the time.

Insider tip

Prioritise the Maori and Pacific-led productions - they are the festival's distinctive strength and the works you will not see anywhere else in the world.

Get inside Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts

Booking matters here: programme launches in the preceding spring; book headline shows and hotels soon after. Members track that window, what it really costs, and 573 more events across the season.

Free while in beta. One email when your invitation is ready, nothing else.