A community guide to creative events in the Waikato region
13 EVENTS
12 EVENTS
4 EVENTS
0 EVENTS
6 EVENTS
36 EVENTS
4 OPPORTUNITIES
Queen Forever at the BNZ Theatre.
5 SepHamilton
Capture the beauty of Spring in watercolour with Sandra Morris.
5 SepTauwhare
Forget about creating the perfect likeness. This is a relaxed three-hour portrait workshop in Hamilton exploring faces through mixed media!
Spend a day immersed in our unique arboretum environment capturing the essence of Spring.
6 SepTauwhare
Cambridge Art Society Annual Members’ Exhibition. Join us to celebrate our local talent!
Sep 3 – 6Cambridge
University of Waikato Music performance from Lara Halla and Lorelle McNaugton.
9 SepHamilton
Explore the exciting effects of Pop Riveting and create your own sculpture.
12 SepTauwhare
Join us for CCMF 2026 and immerse yourself in a weekend of exceptional chamber music.
Sep 11 – 13Cambridge
Don’t Look Back In Anger – The concert movie you can’t Miss
Sep 10 – 13Hamilton
Art works on paper featuring some of the early memories growing up in the Waikato by Caroline Peacocke
Sep 4 – 26Hamilton
Violin Performance from Benjamin Baker at the University of Waikato
16 SepHamilton
We’re gearing up for Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori at Tairua Library!
16 SepTairua
Kirikiriroa’s own Nicholas Joseph will celebrate the release of his debut album Sailing, out September 18.
18 SepHamilton
With 2026 marking our 80th Anniversary, we bring you a celebratory concert- Tiakina Te Reo Waiata- Keeping the Song Alive.
19 SepCambridge
Future Te Aroha is celebrating 25 years with a special anniversary showcase with two concerts on Saturday 19th September.
19 SepTe Aroha
Making sales but not making money? Learn why profit and cash aren’t the same — and where yours is leaking.
22 SepHamilton
Te Pae Kōkako – The Aotearoa New Zealand Opera Studio (TANZOS) performs at the University of Waikato.
23 SepHamilton
Experience Te Whare Taonga o Waikato Museum and Gallery after hours and see the Museum in a whole new light.
30 SepHamilton
9 local artists, architects, designers and developers share bold ideas for our streetscapes — bringing creativity, connection and possibility.
The programme that WindWood is touring the upper North Island with in 2026 is themed Spirit Dancings.
New Zealand International Film festival
27 Aug – 9 SepHamilton
Penny returns home to discover that the town’s annual potato race has separate prizes for men and women with $1,000 for men, and only $200 for women.
22 Aug – 5 SepCambridge
An exhibition by Lisa Benson
21 Aug – 5 SepHamilton
The works invite attention to the movement of light, the traces of time, and the relationships between bodies and their surroundings.
2 Sep – 2 OctHamilton
The Art Room Project is a creative wellbeing programme in Hamilton for girls aged 14–17.
4 Aug – 8 SepHamilton
An exhibition of finely-crafted S70 mini huts by Kemi & Niko
12 Sep – 3 OctHamilton
A curated art and design week celebrating the creative energy of local and international talents.
25 Sep – 4 OctHamilton
Build creative confidence, learn new techniques, and develop your own artistic toolkit.
20 Jul – 7 SepHamilton
Be inspired by flowers, gardens, trees and landscapes as you explore a range of creative techniques
Kids Art Hamilton | Creative Play Class for Homeschoolers 🎨
Starts Tuesday 21 July – 8 Sept or Friday 24 July – 11 Sept
21 Jul – 8 SepHamilton
A creative art workshop designed to support wellbeing through art-making in a calm, welcoming studio environment.
22 Jul – 9 SepHamilton
A fun, relaxed after school art club where children can explore creativity, make art and build confidence through guided projects
Ready to take the next step in your creative practice?
Exploring bold, expressive art-making through print, texture, collage, layering and mixed media techniques.
23 Jul – 10 SepHamilton
Take time for yourself, meet other women, and enjoy making art in a relaxed and supportive environment.
A hands-on, exploratory art workshop where you’ll experiment with both 2D and 3D techniques.
24 Jul – 11 SepHamilton
Learn to draw step by step in a supportive and relaxed studio environment.
Although there have been many paintings of the Waikato river, a focused review has yet to be compiled. Until now.
28 Aug – 16 OctHamilton
Join Martin to explore watercolour techniques capturing the beauty of light in the landscape.
3 OctTauwhare
A Sunday afternoon workshop away with the fairies. Come with your daydreams & leave with a Vision Zine.
4 OctHamilton
Your opportunity to explore traditional whatu techniques with contemporary mediums with Julz @ tiaki rAranga in collaboration with Whare Hau Tutū
6 OctHamilton
Student Chamber and Choir groups perform at the University of Waikato.
7 OctHamilton
Learn the principles of kōwhaiwhai, their purākau and how to draw them in a small rōpū.
8 OctHamilton
Opus Orchestra presents its annual family concert – fun for the whole whanau!
9 OctHamilton
Fletch, Vaughan and Hayley at the BNZ Theatre.
10 OctHamilton
Evening of colours, culture and entertainment. Experience the spirit of festival with a special skit in English which brings the story of Ram to life
Take a musical pause in your day and hear the expertise of the University of Waikato’s Music staff in performance.
14 OctHamilton
Come visit our official Raglan Arts Weekend Preview Exhibition and secure a special artwork at a fraction of its value.
Oct 2 – 26Raglan
Björn Again at the BNZ Theatre.
16 OctHamilton
Discover amazing techniques with silver clay as Marcia guides you to create a unique pair of earrings.
17 OctTauwhare
artbeat music & arts festival is a 2 day event – 10am – 4pm 17/18th October – to showcase the amazing creatives we have in the Ōtorohanga District!
Oct 17 – 18Otorohanga
GLOtron! is a magical maze of glow-in-the-dark storyscapes that creates an utterly original world for families to explore.
1 Sep – 30 NovHamilton
SPECIAL EVENT Q&A WITH DIANNE WHELAN – 500 DAYS IN THE WILD
23 Oct
(potent pause) Productions in association with FPinter Ltd present Celebrating PPP’s 25th Anniversary with a double bill of ‘The Lover’ and ‘The Collection’ by Harold Pinter.
Oct 23 – 24Hamilton
The 16th Raglan Arts Weekend this October is set to impress with over 70 participating artists, plus installations, public art murals, demos & music.
Oct 24 – 26Raglan
28 OctHamilton
The date is decided. The venue is booked. And the planning starts now. Its about to get unreal really quick. The last ever Miss Cadaver for real.
31 Oct
Gather your friends, dress up, and dance the night away this Halloween with a Silent Disco at the Museum.
31 OctHamilton
Life drawing of human figure every Friday afternoon at the Cathedral
12 Sep – 18 DecHamilton
Create a handmade book that is completely your own in this six-week creative journaling and bookbinding workshop in Hamilton
15 Oct – 19 NovHamilton
The Arts for Health Annual New Zealand Art Competition and Exhibition is open to artists from across New Zealand.
29 Oct – 21 NovHamilton
Youth Filmmakers Workshops in Hamilton and Cambridge
6 Jul – 8 Nov
A festival for independent, NZ-made films
Nov 6 – 8Te Awamutu
Come along and build your watercolour skills in a relaxed, supportive class with step-by-step guidance along the way.
13 Oct – 1 DecHamilton
Looking for a fun and creative space for your child after school?
14 Oct – 2 DecHamilton
Develop your own artistic style through texture, printmaking, collage and expressive mixed media.
15 Oct – 3 DecHamilton
Start with the basics and build your skills over 8 weeks in our Learning Drawing course!
16 Oct – 4 DecHamilton
Take inspiration from the world around you in our 8-week Art Inspired by Nature course
12 Oct – 7 DecHamilton
Looking for a fun, creative activity to add to your homeschool week?
Come along to Journey Through Art, a welcoming mixed-media class where you’ll be supported step by step as you explore something different each week.
Triggar Happy performing live with his band at Otorohanga Club on Friday 13th November 2026. Top NZ Country Rock artist with two number one albums.
13 NovŌtorohanga
Floral artists come together to create visual displays captivating audiences of all ages
Nov 11 – 14Matamata
🎨 NEVER SEEM TO FIND TIME FOR YOUR ART?
13 Oct – 15 DecHamilton
Courtney Barnett at the BNZ Theatre in November.
18 NovHamilton
Aldous Harding at the BNZ Theatre in November.
25 NovHamilton
A wānanga where participants learn and practice earth-based pigment making and deepen their relationship with natural materials.
28 NovHamilton
The Royal New Zealand Ballet’s 2026 Season is a year of drama, beauty and imagination – where timeless stories and bold new visions collide.
Nov 27 – 29Hamilton
We are looking for Artists to participate in this years Festival.
25 Jun – 1 Nov
And they lived happily ever after! Well…not exactly.
27 Nov – 12 DecHamilton
Learn the principles of kōwhaiwhai, their purākau and how to draw them in a small rōpū. 4 Evening Wānanga Available – Check out our website for dates
30 Apr – 8 OctHamilton
A sumptuous programme of music by the late-Baroque Italian genius Giovanni Pergolesi and French-Baroque master Jean-Philippe Rameau.
11 DecHamilton
Join us for the annual 10-day arts festival celebrating beautiful Cambridge in Autumn!
Mar 12 – 21, 2027
Australia/NZ’s first Poetry Therapy certification: Harness poetry’s healing power for community workshops and personal transformation.
1 Sep, 2025 – 1 Sep, 2027
The free weekly directory for 100+ creative grants, residencies, prizes, and commissions across NZ, Australia, and internationally.
1 Apr, 2026 – 1 Apr, 2028
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