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Wondering what to do?
There are plenty of fun activities fit for the whole family, including Tunes 4 Tamariki, Play Festival and the Kids Art Festival at Corban Estate. On the food side of things, the Food Truck Collective will be at Narrowneck, and Remuera’s Alliance Française is hosting a French Day and Market. Freida Margolis in Grey Lynn is hosting a market too, full of vintage and handicrafts, while there’s a wealth of knowledge to soak up at the Earthsong Sustainable Living Festival in Ranui.
Play Festival
Looking for somewhere to let your children and your inner child loose this weekend? Head down to Play Festival in Western Park. The inclusive event is all about bringing communities together and fostering intercultural connections. There will be all sorts of traditional games from a range of different cultures, nature play, loose parts play, arts and crafts activities, cultural group performances, music, dance and street food from all around the world. It’s part of Auckland Council’s World of Cultures festival, which continues through until the first weekend of the school holidays and has lots of ways for Aucklanders to celebrate living in Aotearoa’s most culturally diverse city.
Get the whole family’s creative juices flowing this weekend. Photo / Martine Lord
Kids Arts Festival
Get creative with the kiddos this weekend at Corban Estate Arts Centre’s Kids Art Festival. This year’s theme is Oceans and Origins and includes a range of immersive experiences that explore the wonders of the ocean, migration stories and our myriad connections with the sea. There will be art-making stations run by the education team at Corban Estate as well as resident artists, a West Auckland Schools Art Exhibition and a performance stage with dance, theatre and music. The on-site cafe will be open plus there’ll be food trucks rolling in with tasty kai, or save your pennies and pack a picnic lunch. Get the whole family’s creative juices flowing this weekend at Corban Estate.
Tunes 4 Tamariki is teaming up with the TVNZ show Toi Time for an interactive hour of music. Photo / Thomas Hamill Photography
Tunes 4 Tamariki: Toi Time
Let your littlest loves become inspired by the wonders of music and instruments with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra this weekend and next. Formerly APO 4 Kids, Tunes 4 Tamariki is teaming up with the TVNZ show Toi Time for an interactive hour of music, at the end of which the tamariki can wander through the orchestra and see the instruments up close while the talented musicians play. It’s an hour of children’s entertainment for the under-six set that adults can genuinely enjoy as well. This Sunday it’s at the Auckland Town Hall and next weekend it’s at the Bruce Mason Centre.
April 7, 10am and 11.30am. Auckland Town Hall, Queen St, Auckland CBD.
April 13, 10am and 11.30am. Bruce Mason Centre, The Promenade, Takapuna. Tickets $15 from apo.co.nz.
Lang explores the impact of war, a devastating result of an escalating need to have the last word. Photo / Lang Ea
Northart: Lang Ea
Opening at Northart this Saturday is the latest exhibition from multi-media artist Lang Ea, The Last Word. In this timely exhibition, Lang explores the impact of war, a devastating result of an escalating need to have the last word. She draws on her family’s experience of the Cambodian war to present a deeply thoughtful exhibition that deals with ideas of intergenerational trauma and human indifference. In the artist’s own words, “... the declaration of war as the final recourse turns us all to fools and madmen”. Lang is an internationally recognised artist, having had works exhibited in Europe, the United States and Australia. There’s an opening event on Saturday afternoon and the exhibition runs through to late April.
April 2-27, Tuesdays to Saturdays. April 6, 1-3pm (opening event). Northart Gallery, Norman King Square, Ernie Mays Square, Northcote, Auckland. FREE.
Food trucks in Narrow Neck are the perfect excuse to avoid cooking this weekend. Photo / PM Creatives
Food trucks in Narrow Neck
The food trucks are rolling into Narrow Neck this Saturday and it’s a particularly eclectic selection this week in honour of the World of Cultures festival. It’s the last Food Truck Collective event under daylight saving skies - don’t forget to roll those clocks back - but, don’t worry, the trucks still pop up throughout the darker months. Saturday’s line-up includes Butter Baby, Smoking Shack, Brulee Bike, Manila Eats, Gully Grub, Hungarian Twister, Double Dutch Fries, Hapunan, Ice Cream Social, Vege Pulse, Jay’s Kitchen and Catchya Cookout. There’s a pop-up bar keeping you refreshed so please don’t bring your own booze, that’s not allowed. It’s the perfect excuse to avoid cooking this weekend.
April 6, 5-8pm. Woodall Park, 4 Seabreeze Rd, Narrow Neck, Auckland. Free entry.
Saturday is the French Day and Market at the Alliance Française in Remuera.
French Day and Market
Calling Auckland’s French speakers and francophiles, Saturday is the French Day and Market at the Alliance Française in Remuera. Start your weekend off with buttery croissants and other French delicacies from the market and explore the range of authentic French products on offer. It’s also an opportunity to explore the resources and activities of the Alliance Française and consider signing you or your children up for the various language and cultural programmes they have available. Allons-y!
April 6, 9am-1pm. Alliance Française Auckland, 131 Remuera Rd, Remuera, Auckland.
Earthsong is hosting a day of workshops, activities, stalls and live music.
Earthsong Sustainable Living Festival
If the crushing combo of the cost of living crisis and the climate crisis has you running off the grid or at least pondering alternative ways of living, then you should head along to the Earthsong Sustainable Living Festival this weekend. Earthsong is an Eco-Neighbourhood in Ranui and, on Saturday, they’re hosting a day of workshops, activities, stalls and live music. You can learn about composting, permaculture, consensus-driven community decision-making, sustainable housing and community-centred design, designing for flood resilience, upcycling and lots more. There’s no on-site parking so, in keeping with the spirit of the event, walk, bus, train or bike there if you can. There’ll be food, drink, music and an inspiring community atmosphere.
April 6, 9.30am-3pm. Earthsong Eco-Neighbourhood, 457 Swanson Rd, Ranui. Tickets $10 from ecofest.org.nz.
Freida Margolis temporarily switches codes and becomes a buzzy Saturday morning market and vintage shopper’s dream.
Freida Margolis Market
It’s the first weekend of the month which means one of our favourite little wine bars, Freida Margolis, temporarily switches codes and becomes a buzzy Saturday morning market and vintage shopper’s dream. There will be handpicked preloved and vintage clothing and treasures, baked goods and tasty treats, seasonal plants and flowers, ceramics, jewellery and vinyl. There’s always live music as well as someone spinning vinyl so the vibe is invariably groovy. It’s just a great place to kick off a leisurely Saturday morning.
April 6, 10am-1pm. Freida Margolis Wine Bar, 440 Richmond Rd, Grey Lynn, Auckland.
Double Goer will undoubtedly be a contemporary dance highlight of 2024. Photo / Andi Crown
Plan ahead: Double Goer
Next week you can witness some of Aotearoa’s most exceptional choreographic and dance talent on display in Double Goer by Foster Group Dance. Danced by Tamsyn Russell and Rose Philpott, the piece garnered rave reviews after its premiere season at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival last year and the Nelson Arts Festival. It’s directed and choreographed by Sarah Foster-Sproull, who has choreographed for, among others, Footnote New Zealand Dance and the Royal New Zealand Ballet. Double Goer is the English translation of doppelgänger and the piece is described as follows: “Two strikingly similar women battle for supremacy.” It will undoubtedly be a contemporary dance highlight of 2024.
April 11-13. Q Theatre, Queen St, Auckland CBD. Tickets $24-$31.50 + booking fees from qtheatre.co.nz.
Additional performances: April 5-6, Hannah Playhouse, Wellington. April 26-27, Little Andromeda, Christchurch.
