Wellington Events and Festivals

(Wellington, North Island New Zealand)

There are always fun things to do within the capital of Wellington, although many visitors to the city choose to time their holiday to coincide with a local festival or two. January is an especially appealing and busy month, with the Summer City Mardi Gras offering an exciting party atmosphere and a series of local events.

Towards the end of January, the City of Wellington Marathon arrives, while February sees both the International Rugby Sevens Tournament and the Fringe Festival New Zealand, the latter of which was first staged in 1990 and boasts a host of comedy related gigs and activities lasting for some three weeks.

During the month of March, the International Dragon Boat Festival serves as a huge crowd-puller, with literally thousands heading to the Frank Kitts Park to enjoy the exciting boat races and related festivities.

National Public Holidays

• 1st January - New Year's Day
• 29th January - Auckland Anniversary Day
• 6th February - Waitangi Day
• Good Friday / Easter Monday March / April - Easter
• 25th April - Anzac Day
• 1st Monday in June - Queen's birthday
• 4th Monday in October - Labour Day
• 25th December - Christmas Day
• 26th December - Boxing Day

Calendar of Festivals and Events 2014 / 2015

January

• Summer City Mardi Gras - fun-filled extravaganza
• Wellington Cup Carnival - popular three-day horse race event
• City of Wellington Marathon - late-January, enjoy watching or participating in a marathon or half marathon

February

• International Rugby Sevens Tournament - an entertaining series of rugby matches
• Big Coast - two-day event in mid-February, a long-distance cycle ride
• Fringe Festival New Zealand - late February to March, a month-long event featuring theatre, dance, art and music
• Martinborough Fair - first Saturday in February and March, a large arts and crafts fair
• Hurricanes - February to May, rugby competition featuring teams from New Zealand, South Africa and Australia

March

• International Dragon Boat Festival - two-day event in early March, with exciting dragon boat racing featuring numerous teams
• Kapiti Women's Triathlon - a women-only non-competitive triathlon
• Karapoti Classic - a 50-km / 31-mile mountain biking race
• Writers and Readers Week - featuring a wealth of novels and poetry

April

• TV2 International Laugh Festival - April and May, featuring performances from local and international comedians

July

• Wellington International Film Festival - a three-week event including both national and international films

October

• International Jazz Fest - October and November, a popular two-week event
• Folk Festival - late October, a weekend event featuring a wide variety of music

November

• Toast Martinborough Festival - third Sunday in November, a popular food, wine and musical event

December

• Carols by Candlelight - early December, enjoy picnics by the harbour, and music and carols in Frank Kitts Park
• Thorndon Fair - a popular arts and crafts show