Auckland Entertainment & Events Guide
Your guide to the best entertainment and major Auckland events
Auckland's reputation as an exciting, fun city is entirely deserved, and there are few times of the year when there is nothing going on to entertain you during your stay. The city's comparatively young population is bolstered by a regular influx of student travellers and back packers, which creates an inclusive, multi cultural nightlife - particularly in the waterfront area which was extensively redeveloped for the 2003 America's Cup competition.
Most of the major festivities take place during the summer months, which coincides with the tourist high season, and Christmas and New Year are always a big thrill with plenty of fireworks over the harbour to excite visitors. Most of Auckland's most popular events are heavily focussed on the sea, and aside from the many small sailing competitions and sporting events; there are several major regattas in the calendar.
On January 30th, Auckland's anniversary is celebrated with a recreation of Captain Hobson's discovery of Auckland Bay, and subsequent founding of the colony, while a week or so later, Waitangi is celebrated to mark the historic agreements that gave birth to the nation.
The annual Turangawaewae Regatta is a celebration of both sides of Auckland's culture, when the sea and Maori traditions of the region come together. Amongst the events that mark the event, perhaps the most famous is the spectacle of dozens of Maori War Canoes taking to the water of Waitemata Harbour in a majestic display. The regatta takes place on the Saturday nearest March 17th, and lasts for two days.