Auckland is celebrating Pride Month this February. Here are 13 events to have on your radar.
February is Pride Month in Tāmaki Makaurau and there’s no shortage of ways to celebrate.
There are close to 200 community events on the official Auckland Pride Festival programme, alongside other landmark rainbow events such as Big Gay Out, organised by Burnett Foundation Aotearoa and the Auckland Rainbow Parade in Ponsonby on February 15.
There is no right or wrong way to celebrate Pride; options encompass the breadth of the LGBTQIA+ community. Earlier this week Viva’s Dan Ahwa spoke to key figures producing this year’s pride festival’s major events and below we lay out 13 additional noteworthy events to have on your radar.
Polaroid Wall of Pride
February 1-28
Ellen Melville Centre
In a simple and growing installation aimed at showcasing the diversity and accepting spirit of community, Polaroid’s Wall of Pride invites allies and community members to have a dynamic portrait taken and added to an evolving display board. At the festival’s end, the wall will be carefully archived, “to preserve the heartfelt celebration of Tāmaki Makaurau’s vibrant rainbow and ally communities”.
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Advertise with NZME.Pride Art In Conversation
February 8, 10.30am
Ellen Melville Centre
Artists Kahurangiariki Smith and 박성환 Sung Hwan Bobby Park have public artworks on display in Freyberg Square this Pride Month. The Freyberg steps are wrapped in a vibrant design that projects Kahurangiariki’s brand of indigenous futurism grounded in mātauranga Māori, while lightboxes nearby display Sung Hwan’s growing collection of helmets that interrogate notions around the protection and identity afforded to queer people. On February 8 the two artists join forces to share insights into their concepts, processes and creative practices, and explore how their works connect under the kaupapa of Pride.
Elder Queers Give Advice
February 2 at New Lynn Library, February 8 at Te Oro Music & Arts Centre, Glen Innes, February 16 at Big Gay Out, Coyle Park, Point Chevalier, February 22 at Ellen Melville Centre.
In an immensely valuable opportunity to soak up the mātauranga of our elders and foster intergenerational community, every weekend of February at different locations across the city, a group of rainbow kaitiaki will be available to kōrero with anyone and everyone who wishes. Hear their story, or share yours.
Gender-Affirming Fashion Upcycling
Every Sunday in February
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Advertise with NZME.Te Manawa Library
Experimentation and self-discovery through clothing can be a formative journey for gender-diverse people. To facilitate that in a sustainable and budget-conscious manner, every Sunday in February the Creative Space at Te Manawa (Westgate) Library will host a workshop in which participants can learn upcycling and mending techniques to help them transform garments into clothing that is truly them.
Note: Basic sewing materials will be available, but participants are encouraged to bring any special fabrics they would like to use. This workshop is not recommended for beginners, with some sewing experience necessary.
Doodling In The Margins
February 15, 11.30am
Ellen Melville Centre
New Zealand’s only LGBTQIA+ literary festival, Samesame But Different celebrates its 10th birthday in 2025 with a programme promising to “celebrate milestones, remember struggles and victories, and acknowledge both what has been achieved and also what we are still hoping for”. One notable event, facilitated by art historian Fern Insh, sees artists Sam Orchard, Sloane Hong and Alex Scott kōrero about visual storytelling through graphic novels and comics.
Beings: Tatou Tatou
February 19-28
Studio One, Toi Tu
This photography exhibition from art director Leon Bristow and photographer Frances Carter feeds into a larger kaupapa to showcase authentic representation of BIPOC, rainbow and disabled identities, and “champion the rich and unmatchable storytelling we bring to media spaces”.
Queer Zine Making
February 9, 11am
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki
Independent zines have long been used as a tool for queer community-building, informing and connecting oppressed groups and allowing a format for uncensored self-representation. Continue this political legacy, or lean instead into the avenue of radical creativity in this workshop proudly hosted by Auckland Zinefest, in which participants learn how to make a one-page folded zine to draw, write and collage whatever their story is.
Nympho Pride 2025
February 22, 8pm
Neck of the Woods, 155B Karangahape Rd
Nympho, the sexually liberated, body positive and gender euphoric-focused dance club where visual and performance art styles are woven into high-energy DJ sets, is “back with a splash” for Pride 2025. Alongside Vercetti, Poppa Jax, Diesel and Sequentia, Isabella Lovestory headlines a night that promises to be a safe, inclusive and transcendent club experience.
Art Walk Onehunga
February 14, 5pm-9pm
Wheke Fortress, LAKA and The Factory Theatre, Onehunga
A joint venture by local community creative spaces Wheke Fortress, LAKA and The Factory Theatre, Art Walk Onehunga is a regular series of hīkoi encouraging people to connect with the Onehunga arts community. The friendly, grassroots gallery-crawl in one of the busiest urban neighbourhoods in Tāmaki Makaurau operates with a kaupapa to showcase the wide selection of creative talent and hidden gems happening locally, bringing artists, people and community businesses closer together.
Bouldering With Radiqal Movement
Boulder Co. Auckland - 33-47 Northside Drive, Westgate
February 15, 11am-12.30pm
In July last year, Viva’s Madeleine Crutchley highlighted the rapid ascent in popularity of bouldering, the no-ropes-no-harness climbing sport. The LGBTQIA+ community has shown a special affinity with the code, perhaps because it’s unencumbered by gender groupings found in other sports. On February 15, Radial Movement, a queer-affirming, body-liberating, fitness collective is organising a special Saturday trip to Boulder Co. Auckland, the climbing gym in West Auckland. They’re welcoming people of all skills, abilities and levels of confidence to this event, which is billed as “a great, social activity for the body and the mind, combining problem solving and physical exercise on a three-dimensional level”.
Queer Wears Pre-Big Gay Out Clothing Swap
February 15, 9am
Pt Chevalier Community Centre
Big Gay Out returns to Coyle Park on Sunday, February 16, a Pride fixture that delivers the community a safe space to proudly express and celebrate their version of pride in the open. The day prior, the Point Chevalier Community Centre is hosting a free gender-affirming clothing swap. Bring a tote, grab a free barista-made coffee and source a new (to you) outfit. Donated items in good condition can be dropped off at the Point Chevalier Little Library during opening hours between February 8-14.
Tie-Dye For Pride
February 15, 10am
Titirangi Community House
Want threads that you’ve put your own (swirled) mark on? Titirangi Community House has you covered. As part of PrideFest Out West, the local hub is putting on a hands-on activity day where you can bring a white T-shirt, socks or scarf to be lovingly decorated with rainbow patterning.
Ageing Proud: Our Stories
February 20, 7pm
Studio One, Toi Tu
Organised by Ageing Proud, a new collective of older gay and bisexual men, this personal storytelling event sees a group of older gay and bisexual men sharing reflections about their lives: where they’ve come from; where they’ve arrived; and their hopes as gay or bisexual men ageing proud.
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