Events in Waikato: Raglan Arts Weekend, poetry slam part of event calendar

One of Taupō's striking Graffiato street artworks from a previous festival. Photo / Destination Great Lake Taupō

● One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, theatre performance, now until October 26, at Riverlea Theatre, Hamilton

Hamilton Playbox Theatre stages another all-time classic. When Randle Patrick McMurphy gets transferred for evaluation from a prison farm to a mental institution, he assumes it will be an easier environment than the prison farm. But the cruel Nurse Ratched runs the psychiatric ward with an iron fist, keeping her patients cowed through abuse. The battle of wills between the rebellious McMurphy and the inflexible Ratched soon affects all the world’s patients and chaos descends. Tickets online via iTicket.

● Māreikura, theatre performance, October 18, 7pm at Clarence St Theatre, Hamilton

Presented by Tai Wananga, Māreikura is about the reconnection of one’s culture after a generation of loss. It is a story of reconnection, resilience and leadership, through the eyes of women. Tickets online via Ticketek.

● The Thin White Ukes – A Bowie Odyssey, concert, October 18, 7.30pm at The Regent Theatre, Te Awamutu

Australian ukulele trio The Thin White Ukes are on tour in Aotearoa for the first time, performing and reinventing the songs of David Bowie on acoustic strings and with three-part vocal harmony. Tickets online at theregent.nz.

● Equifest Taupō 2024, equestrian event, October 18-20 at Fiber Fresh National Equestrian Centre, 136 Rapids Rd, Taupō

Equifest is a three-day festival for all things equine. There are educational seminars with industry experts, competitions, nightshows and stalls with a wide range of exhibitors. Tickets online at equifest.co.nz.

Raglan Artist Elisabeth Denis will engage RAW visitors with an interactive performance piece called Cold-Blooded-Dermatographic-Locution. Photo / Ilan Wittenberg

● Thames Art Treasures & Textile Market, craft event, October 19, 9am at Grahamstown Community Centre, 768 Pollen St, Thames

The Grahamstown Community Hall will house a vibrant community of creatives that have come together to show and sell unique art, treasures and textiles. Items are original, handcrafted by local artists, and preloved treasures. Free entry.

● Kirikiriroa Hamilton Poetry Slam, October 19, 7pm at Central Library Te Koopuu Maania o Kirikiriroa, 9 Garden Place, Hamilton

Prepare yourself for three rounds of audience-judged original words from local performance poets. By the end of the night, Kirikiriroa will have a new local Poetry Slam champ who will represent the city at the National NZ Poetry Slam. Tickets online via Eventfinda.

● Drag B-I-N-G-O with Anita Wigl’It, October 24, 7.30pm at Lucky Finns, 28 Hood St, Hamilton

Join the Anita Wigl’it, star of RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under for three competitive rounds of bingo, prizes, a whole lot of laughs and of course a drag show. Tickets online via Eventfinda.

New Zealand drag queen Anita Wigl'it.

● 2024 BMXNZ North Island Titles, sport event, October 26-27 at Cambridge BMX Club, 125 Milton St, Cambridge

This event will see the best riders from the north and south and riders from Australia compete for the ‘NI’ ranking plates. Along with the titles on offer, the event is a round of the 2024 BMXNZ National Series and a qualifying meeting for the 2025 National Championships. Spectators are free.

● Graffiato: Taupō Street Art Festival, October 26-28, 9am, in Taupo’s CBD

A combination of well-known artists, along with local emerging talent, paint 10 walls in the Taupō CBD over Labour weekend. This year, one artist will also be stationed at the helicopter at the mountain biking hub, and another one at the Acacia Bay shops. Walking maps will be available at the i-Site. Free event.

● Raglan Arts Weekend, October 26-28, 10am-5pm in Raglan

Local creatives are opening the doors to their studios to the public. For the first time, the event will also include a Country and Blues music festival. A Raglan Arts Guide brochure is available from the Old School Art Centre. Free event.

● Richard O’Brien’s Kingdom of Bling, musical, October 26, 8pm, at Clarence St Theatre, Hamilton

Rocky Horror Show creator Richard O’Brien is back with a new satirical musical, The Kingdom of Bling. Starring O’Brien as The Narrator alongside an extraordinary ensemble cast, this cautionary tale has the wacky hallmarks of Rocky Horror while featuring giants, a menacing fox, trolls, and the king of the land – the obnoxious “The He”. The musical is backed by a stonking rock band. All royalties will go to the Starship children’s Hospital. Tickets online via Ticketek.

● The Young Virtuosi, classical concert, October 30, 7.30pm at Gallagher Academy of Performing Arts, Hamilton

The Young Virtuosi is a violin and piano ensemble formed by International Violin Competition 2023 winner Yeyeong Jenny Jin and Sydney International Piano Competition 2023 winner Jeonghwan Kim. For this tour, the pair have chosen a repertoire including Frédéric Chopin’s Grande Polonaise Brillante and Camille Saint-Saëns’ Violin Sonata in D minor, Op. 75. Tickets online via Ticketek.