Give the gift of Christmas to those less fortunate by donating to the Kindness Collective's Christmas Joy Store, either online or at participating Mitre 10 stores.
Give the gift of Christmas to those less fortunate by donating to the Kindness Collective's Christmas Joy Store, either online or at participating Mitre 10 stores.
If you’re not too busy running between Christmas parties, end-of-year recitals, work events or the like this weekend, then check out our curated list of happenings in Auckland over the next couple of days.
For those feeling festive, there are multiple Christmas events taking place, including at Howick Historical Village, Freida’s Christmas Market, Christmas at Auckland Museum and the Basement Theatre.
For anyone wanting to escape the yuletide season, there are two excellent new art exhibitions being held and a Thai cultural festival at The Cloud.
1) Twilight Christmas at Howick Historical Village – Pakuranga
Celebrate Christmases of yore at Howick Historical Village this Saturday, where they’re holding their Twilight Christmas event. Stockings are hanging on the hearth, fairy lights are twinkling around the colonial cottages, the Christmas tree is decorated with quaint ornaments and carolers are ready to “fa-la-la-la-la” the night away. There will be food trucks on-site to keep you and your little festive fiends fed and a miniature market with seasonal treats. Christmas crafting is on the programme, as well as a visit from Santa. It’s safest to book tickets in advance – there will be very limited door sales.
Howick Historical Village will hold its Twilight Christmas event on Saturday.
2) Freida Christmas Market – Grey Lynn
This Saturday’s monthly market at Freida Margolis is, of course, Christmas-themed. There’ll be all the usual vintage excellence, including clothes and treasures, along with baked goods, tasty bites, seasonal plants and flowers, vinyl, ceramics, crafts, and hand-made jewellery, but this time everything comes with a dose of Christmas cheer. We wholeheartedly endorse avoiding the malls and buying all your Christmas gifts this year from local community markets like Freida’s. In true Freida-style, there’ll be vinyl spinning to keep the festive spirits high as you seek out perfectly unique gifts for your whānau and loved ones.
Freida Margolis' monthly market, on this Saturday, is Christmas-themed.
3) Your Curious Journey – Auckland CBD
Avoid Christmas overstimulation by retreating to Auckland Art Gallery this weekend, where a new exhibition by Icelandic-Danish artist Olafur Eliasson is opening on Saturday. “Your Curious Journey” is a retrospective of Eliasson’s career highlights from over 30 years and the first solo show in Aotearoa for the internationally significant contemporary artist. Included in the exhibit are installations, sculptures and photographs. Perhaps the greatest spectacle in the exhibit is the commissioned piece Under the Weather, which is located in the Gallery’s Te Ātea/North Atrium. It’s an 11m elliptical disc suspended overhead that flickers and changes as visitors move around the space. Like Eliasson’s most famous work, The Weather Project, this interactive piece is an exciting installation for visitors to engage with and reflect upon their experience of the space around them.
When: December 7 – March 23.
Where: Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, corner of Kitchener and Wellesley Streets, Auckland Central.
Price: Adults $24.50, members free, children 12 and under free, with concessions available.
In lieu of that dreamy holiday to Thailand you’ve been fantasising about, head down to The Cloud this weekend and get a taste of Thai culture, minus the exquisite temples and white-sand beaches. Hosted by the Royal Thai Embassy in Wellington and the local Thai community, the two-day festival will feature authentic Thai food, market stalls, traditional Thai massage therapy and Muay Thai demonstrations, as well as Thai dancing, music and fashion. If you’re thinking about doing some Christmas shopping in the city, take a detour to The Cloud and you’ll be guaranteed to find good food and entertainment to keep your spirits and energy high for your retail marathon. You’ll probably leave with a stronger yearning to hop on a plane to Thailand, but dreams are free.
A two-day festival celebrating Thai culture will be held at The Cloud this weekend.
5) Christmas at the Basement Theatre – Auckland CBD
This year, Christmas at the Basement Theatre looks a little different. They’re taking a break from their usual Christmas show and instead have a line-up of various fan favourites performing Christmas-related shows. There are 14 events over the next three weeks, including improv, stand-up, quizzes, drag events, play readings, markets, poetry, podcasts, and an Artist Christmas Party. The silly season launched on Friday with What the Quizmas is This?!, a raucous quiz night hosted by cabaret star Nomi Cohen, a repeat of which will be held this Saturday night. Next Wednesday, you can see A Very Live Reel Christmas – in which a cast of Basement Theatre regulars will attempt to perform the film Die Hard from memory – and, on Thursday, they’ll do it again with Love Actually. There’s also a Christmas drag show, the Xmas Asian Holiday Takeover, a live recording of The Male Gayz podcast (Chris Parker, Eli Matthewson), and plenty more. A one-hour show at The Basement is the perfect way to start or finish a Christmas catch-up with friends or colleagues that will leave you laughing.
Christmas will be a busy time at the Basement Theatre, with 14 events planned across the coming weekends.
6) Festive weekends at Auckland Museum – Parnell
You don’t need us to remind you it’s an expensive time of year, especially if you’ve got kids, so free entertainment is always a winner. Along with being home to many fascinating collections, Auckland Museum is hosting some festive fun times each weekend until Christmas. There’s a craft area where your whānau can create their own Christmas ornaments to take home, and they’ve got a North Pole mailbox the little ones can use to post their letters to Mr S. Claus – express. Additionally, they’re running a Sounds of the Season programme which features musical performances. This Saturday, you can see Auckland choir Vocālis, next weekend there’s Handel Consort & Quire and All Together Now and, on December 21, the El Shaddai Gospel Music Ministry.
Price: Free with museum entry (which is free for Auckland residents). Visit aucklandmuseum.com for more information.
Auckland Museum is getting into the festive spirit this December.
7) The Daylight Show – Parnell
The final exhibition of the year at Foenander Galleries in Parnell opened on Friday. “The Daylight Show” features the work of 13 emerging and avant-garde artists. The concept for the exhibition is inspired by the experimental spirit of prominent art collector Peggy Guggenheim – yes, one of those Guggenheims – who was known for discovering and supporting emerging modern artists in the mid-20th century. Among the artists showcased in this exhibition is Nick Herd, Gavin Chai, Jess Swney, Cat Gueverra, Ruby Brown, Marcus Hipa, Kate Silver, Zoe McBride, Paige Northwood and Kota Bush. The exhibition is on until Christmas Eve, so celebrate the end of year by introducing yourself to a new generation of cutting-edge artists and go into 2025 as the Peggy Guggenheim of your circle.
Foenander Galleries' final exhibition of the year has just opened. Photo / Mac Mylo
8) The Kindness Collective’s Christmas Joy Store – Various locations
Teach the spirit of Christmas to those around you by donating to the Kindness Collective’s Christmas Joy Store. The Joy Store, which provides a shopping experience for referred families who are struggling this Christmas, is collecting for just one more week. Their referrals are up 52% this year, and they’re aiming to provide gifts for at least 20,000 children, a heartbreaking reflection of the current financial climate. If you have the means, the Kindness Collective would love for you to donate new toys to a collection point at your nearest participating Mitre10. Alternatively, you could become a “secret Santa” and donate online, or donate to their Feed a Family campaign, through which hampers will be given to 4000 families this December. We know there’s a lot to do at this time of year, but you could really make a difference to a child or family’s Christmas if you add donating to The Kindness Collective to your to-do list.
When and where: Toy donations accepted until December 14 at participating Mitre 10 outlets. Online donations accepted any time at kindness.org.nz.
Give the gift of Christmas to those less fortunate by donating to the Kindness Collective's Christmas Joy Store, either online or at participating Mitre 10 stores.
Plan ahead: Celebrate the music of Christmas – Parnell
Whether you’re a god-fearing person or not, listening to live music inside the spectacular Holy Trinity Cathedral is a spiritual experience. Next Friday and Saturday, Auckland Philharmonia and the Graduate Choir New Zealand will be performing their Celebrate Christmas concert. Under the direction of English choral conductor Stephen Layton, Auckland Philharmonia will perform excerpts from J.S. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio andHandel’s Hallelujah Chorus alongside Leroy Anderson’s Sleigh Ride and traditional Christmas carols. The choir will be directed by Terence Maskell and is to feature the mesmerising vocal talent of rising international opera star Emmanuel Fonoti-Fuimaono. Presented by Stanley St, no concert at the Holy Trinity would be complete without the inclusion of the cathedral’s organ, which is bound to make for a magical and memorable evening and afternoon.
