This weekend we want to go to...

Pussy Riot play Auckland Town Hall on Friday.

Auckland Town Hall: A fringe arts festival is nothing if not varied – and now that the Auckland Fringe is underway again, there's the chance to see everything from plays which pay homage to Scottish ancestors (Run Rabbit) to spoken word poetry that waxes lyrical about bollards (Bollards and the Comedy of Hyperindustrialisation – and, no, we're not sure what it means, either). Auckland Town Hall becomes Fringe Town for the next four days with an extraordinary line-up of edgy performances and art, probably none bigger than Russian provocateurs Pussy Riot who perform tomorrow night. There's also dance courtesy of Movement of the Human, an all-ages K-Pop dance party, Māori movement classes and Pacific dance/theatre.
Auckland Fringe Arts Festival, Fringe Town, Auckland Town Hall, until Sunday.
Festival itself runs until Sunday, March 3

The fashion Pacific Sisters created melded traditional and contemporary, reflecting a new Pacific identity.

Auckland Art Gallery:

In the 1990s, Auckland was yet to wake up and realise that it was the biggest Pacific city in the world but a collective of mostly female Pacific and Māori fashion designers, artists and performers was about to change the way we looked at our place in the world. Through pioneering shows – fashion and art – the Pacific Sisters started doin' it for themselves and making art that would challenge and ultimately change the mainstream for good. Now a major retrospective of their work comes to Auckland, showcasing the collective's ground-breaking costumes and performances.

Pacific Sisters: He Toa Tāera/Fashion, Auckland Art Gallery, Saturday – Sunday, July 14

Dominic Blaazer and the Maximum Philharmonic Orchestra return to the PumpHouse in Takapuna this weekend.

PumpHouse:

One-time Devonport music teacher Dominic Blaazer has taught entire families of children, played alongside the likes of Don McGlashan, SJD, The Chills and The Topp Twins, had his songwriting compared to Bacharach and Lennon and, last year, recorded a widely-praised album, The Lights of Te Atatu. This weekend, he leads his 10-piece orchestra to perform his songs once more. The orchestra includes members of the Auckland Symphony Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra and From Scratch as well as some of his best music students.

Dominic Blaazer and the Maximum Philharmonic Orchestra, PumpHouse, Saturday

Western Springs: On Saturday night, Six60 will break records for the biggest show ever performed by a New Zealand band. Up to 50,000 people are expected at Western Springs Stadium to see the Dunedin chart-toppers perform alongside an all-Kiwi line-up including Drax Project, SWIDT and Sons of Zion. Those who are going are in for a special night: there are few international acts that can sell out the Springs, so to see Six60 do it, no matter what you think of their music, makes you feel proud to see a Kiwi act making history. Tickets are sold out, but you might be able to pick up some last-minute no-shows on TradeMe. And keep an eye on the weather forecast: we may be in the middle of a tail-end of a cyclone.

Ellerslie Racecourse
If you're wondering who Ski Mask the Slump God and Lil Yachty are, Hidden Festival might not be the event for you. But rap fans couldn't be happier about the new outdoor music festival at Ellerslie Racecourse this Friday. As well as a bunch of hip-hop tastemakers - Atlanta rapper JID seems to be the one everyone is talking about right now - the show also features a couple of big name electronic acts, including local heroes Shapeshifter and American DJ Kayzo. The event is R18 and performances kick off at 2.40pm, so you might need an early pass from work to get there in time.