Auckland Arts Festival
An annual Auckland arts and cultural festival presenting New Zealand, Pacific, Asian and international work across performance and visual-arts venues.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
Auckland Arts Festival, formerly known as Auckland Festival and also identified by the Māori name Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki Makaurau, is an annual arts and cultural festival based in Auckland, New Zealand. Its programme brings together theatre, dance, music, cabaret, burlesque, ballet, film, visual art and public forums, using the city’s theatres, galleries, concert halls and other public spaces. The festival’s stated role is to engage Auckland residents with the arts, support New Zealand artists and creative practice, and present work that reflects the character and diversity of Auckland. The festival’s historical roots reach back to a series of music festivals held from 1949 to 1952. The first Auckland Festival of the Arts followed in 1953, partly responding to the public and civic interest surrounding the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. The event continued on an annual basis for several decades, but the original festival series ended after the 1982 edition. A new Auckland Festival was subsequently established, with its inaugural event held in September 2003. After the 2003 relaunch, the festival moved toward a biennial schedule. Editions were held in 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2015, before the organisation adopted an annual March format from 2016. This structure enabled the festival to operate as a recurring citywide cultural event while maintaining a substantial international programme and commissioning new work. The Auckland Festival Trust, an independent not-for-profit trust, runs the festival, with Auckland City Council as its principal funder. Auckland Arts Festival combines imported and locally made work. International artists and companies have appeared alongside New Zealand and Pacific artists, while the trust has also commissioned up to six new works in some years. One example was The Bone Feeder, a new opera presented in 2017 at the ASB Waterfront Theatre, with music by Gareth Farr and a story based on writing by Renee Laing. Such commissions support the festival’s role not merely as a presenter but also as a producer and platform for new creative work. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the 2020 programme, forcing the cancellation of most scheduled shows. Four concerts by the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra were instead streamed online. The 2021 festival, held from 3 to 21 March, was also affected when Auckland entered lockdown in late February. Travel restrictions meant that its programme of more than 70 events was drawn entirely from New Zealand-based artists and productions. These disruptions demonstrated the festival’s dependence on public-health conditions and international mobility, while also highlighting its capacity to adapt through digital presentation and domestic programming. The festival’s artistic leadership changed in 2021, when Shona McCullagh became artistic director, succeeding Jonathan Bielski. Its executive leadership has included David Inns, who joined in 2009 after working with the New Zealand Festival in Wellington and who had also been involved with the Taranaki Arts Festival and WOMAD-related activity, and Robbie Macrae, who became chief executive in August 2022. As an Auckland cultural institution, the festival operates at the intersection of municipal cultural policy, local artistic development and international touring, with its programme shaped by the city’s Pacific location and diverse communities.
History
Auckland Arts Festival developed from Auckland’s postwar music-festival activity. Four annual music festivals were held between 1949 and 1952, followed by the first Auckland Festival of the Arts in 1953. The larger event was associated with the civic and public interest surrounding the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. It then continued as an annual arts festival through much of the mid- and late twentieth century, presenting cultural activity in Auckland until the final edition of the original series in 1982. A new festival was created in the early 2000s. Its inaugural modern edition took place in September 2003 under the Auckland Festival name. The organisers later shifted the event to March and initially operated it on a biennial basis, with editions in 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2015. From 2016 the festival became an annual March event. The relaunch allowed the organisation to combine international touring with a stronger emphasis on New Zealand, Pacific and Auckland-related work. The festival is managed by the independent, not-for-profit Auckland Festival Trust and is principally funded by Auckland City Council. Its programme spans a broad range of disciplines, including theatre, dance, music, cabaret, burlesque, ballet, film, visual art and public discussion. Performances are distributed across Auckland’s cultural infrastructure rather than confined to a single venue. The organisation also commissions new work, with the festival able to commission as many as six works in a year when resources and programming conditions permit. A notable commissioning example was The Bone Feeder, a new opera presented in 2017 at the ASB Waterfront Theatre. The work featured music by Gareth Farr and was based on a book by Renee Laing. It represented the festival’s contribution to the development and public presentation of new New Zealand work, alongside its role as a presenter of established international artists and companies. The COVID-19 pandemic interrupted the festival’s normal operating model. In 2020, most shows were cancelled. Four concerts by the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra were made available through live online streaming, providing a limited digital alternative. The 2021 edition was scheduled for 3–21 March, but Auckland’s lockdown in late February resulted in further cancellations. International travel restrictions also substantially changed the programme: more than 70 events were presented using artists and productions from New Zealand rather than the usual mix of domestic and international work. Leadership changes accompanied the festival’s post-pandemic period. Shona McCullagh became artistic director in 2021, succeeding Jonathan Bielski. David Inns had served as chief executive from 2009 and brought experience from the New Zealand Festival in Wellington, the Taranaki Arts Festival and work associated with WOMAD in Taranaki. Robbie Macrae began as chief executive in August 2022. The festival’s continuing identity is built around Auckland’s role as a diverse Pacific city, while its programming connects local audiences with artistic work from New Zealand, the Pacific, Asia and other parts of the world.
- 2021
Domestic-focused 13th festival
[1]The 13th festival ran from 3 to 21 March, with some cancellations caused by Auckland lockdown restrictions and a programme composed entirely of New Zealand work because of travel restrictions.
- 2020
COVID-19 disruption and online concerts
[1]Most festival shows were cancelled because of the pandemic, while four Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra concerts were streamed live online.
- 2017
The Bone Feeder presented
[1]The festival presented the new opera The Bone Feeder at the ASB Waterfront Theatre.
- 2016
Festival becomes an annual March event
[1]After a period of biennial editions, the festival moved to an annual March schedule.
- 2003
Modern Auckland Festival inaugurated
[1]A new Auckland Festival was launched, with its inaugural modern event held in September.
- 1982
Final edition of the original festival series
[1]The original Auckland festival series concluded after its 1982 edition.
- 1953
First Auckland Festival of the Arts
[1]The first Auckland Festival of the Arts was held, following the four precursor music festivals and benefiting from heightened civic interest around the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
- 1949
First of four precursor music festivals
[1]Auckland began a sequence of annual music festivals that continued through 1952 and provided the immediate background for the later arts festival.
Products and positioning
A citywide, publicly supported arts festival combining international cultural exchange with New Zealand, Pacific and Auckland-focused artistic work.
Arts festival · 2003
Annual Auckland Arts Festival programme
The festival’s core offering is a recurring citywide programme of arts and cultural events. It brings together theatre, dance, music, ballet, cabaret, burlesque, film, visual art and public forums, using Auckland theatres, galleries, concert halls and other venues. The programme combines locally produced work with presentations by artists and companies from New Zealand, the Pacific, Asia and beyond.
Arts commissioning
Commissioned new works
Auckland Arts Festival also operates as a commissioner and producer of new creative work. The trust has commissioned up to six new works in some years, supporting New Zealand artists and giving newly developed productions a major public platform. The 2017 opera The Bone Feeder is an example of this commissioning function.
Music performance
Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra concerts
Orchestral concerts form part of the festival’s music offering. During the 2020 pandemic disruption, four Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra concerts were streamed live online after most in-person festival shows were cancelled.
Opera · 2017
The Bone Feeder
The Bone Feeder was a new opera presented by the festival in 2017 at the ASB Waterfront Theatre. It featured music by Gareth Farr and was based on a book by Renee Laing, representing the festival’s role in developing and presenting new New Zealand work.
Brand decisions
2021
Present a New Zealand-only programme under travel restrictionsStrategyBackground
International travel restrictions affected the 13th Auckland Arts Festival, held from 3 to 21 March 2021.
Action taken
The programme of more than 70 events was built entirely from New Zealand artists and productions.
Aftermath
Some events were cancelled after Auckland entered lockdown in late February, but the festival continued with a substantially domestic artistic offer.
2020
Adapt programme during the COVID-19 pandemicOtherBackground
Public-health restrictions made the festival’s normal in-person performance model impractical.
Action taken
Most shows were cancelled, while four Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra concerts were streamed live online.
Aftermath
The disruption continued into 2021, when lockdowns caused further cancellations and international travel restrictions required a domestic-only programme.
2016
Move from a biennial to an annual festivalStrategyBackground
Following editions in 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2015, the festival had operated on a biennial rhythm.
Action taken
The festival became an annual event held in March from 2016.
Aftermath
The annual schedule established the festival as a regular fixture in Auckland’s cultural calendar.
2003
Relaunch as a modern Auckland festivalStrategyBackground
The earlier festival series had ended in 1982, creating a gap before a new Auckland festival was established.
Action taken
A new Auckland Festival was inaugurated in September 2003.
Aftermath
The relaunch developed into a recurring festival that later adopted a March schedule and expanded its emphasis on international, New Zealand and Pacific work.
Recent events
- 2022
Robbie Macrae appointed chief executive[1]
Leadership change
Robbie Macrae commenced as chief executive of the Auckland Arts Festival organisation in August 2022.
- 2021
Auckland Arts Festival returns with a largely domestic 2021 programme[1]
Other
The 13th festival ran from 3 to 21 March, but late-February Auckland lockdown restrictions caused some events to be cancelled. Travel restrictions meant the programme of more than 70 events featured only New Zealand-based work.
- 2021
Shona McCullagh becomes artistic director[1]
Leadership change
Shona McCullagh took over as artistic director from Jonathan Bielski, beginning a new phase of artistic leadership for the festival.
- 2020
Most 2020 Auckland Arts Festival shows cancelled because of COVID-19[1]
Other
The pandemic led to the cancellation of most of the festival’s scheduled shows. Four Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra concerts were streamed online as an alternative presentation.
- 2017
The Bone Feeder commissioned and presented at the 2017 festival[1]
Product launch
The festival presented the new opera The Bone Feeder at the ASB Waterfront Theatre, illustrating its commissioning and presentation role in new New Zealand work.
Sources2 sources
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