Festival History
Festival Milestones
1948 - 1982
Auckland was the first city in the Asia Pacific to have a large festival.
February 2000
Almost 20 years later, Auckland City Council reinvented the festival, based on the premise that Auckland is a rich, dynamic, diverse, and expanding city, New Zealand's largest. Auckland City Council voted to support the establishment of a distinctive arts and cultural festival for Auckland celebrating its position in the Pacific. AK03, the inaugural event of the "new" Auckland Festival, opened on 20 September 2003.
March 2001
The newly appointed Trustees staged 'The Launching', a spectacular free event in Aotea Square to herald the Auckland Festival's beginning. Directed by Mike Mizrahi and Marie Adams.
September 2003
AK03 opened on 20 September 2003. Highlights included Sticky, the opening event at Britomart Square; the closures of Queen Street for free music and culture weekends; the wildly popular It's in the Bag; the sultry sounds of Ute Lemper and the first time collaboration of the NZSO and APO.
Festival Director: Simon Prast
2003 GALLERY
February 2005
Auckland Festival, AK05 opened on 25th February. Highlights of the program included The Death of Klinghoffer, Bangarra Dance Theatre, The Three Furies, Vula, Commotion and Cabaret Decadanse.
Festival Director: David Malacari
2005 GALLERY
June 2006
Auckland City in partnership Creative New Zealand report on Aucklanders and the Arts - Aucklanders were asked to name any arts event or activities in Auckland that has made them proud to be an Aucklander - Named in second place after Pasifika, was Auckland Festival, AK05.
March 2007
From the opening event at the Auckland Domain, the pyrotechnic performance A Little More Light by Groupe F, watched by a record 170,000 spectators, the 2007 Festival created a sense of excitement and buzz throughout the city.
A record number of shows sold out, including international shows; Max Black, 10 Days on Earth, La Clique, Eddie Perfect and Spaghetti Western Orchestra; plus local seasons of Taki Rua's Strange Resting Places, Tusiata Avia's Wild Dogs Under My Skirt, Black Grace's Amata, Silo Theatre's Ensemble Project, NZSO's Mahler-The Resurrection, and Jennifer Ward-Lealand's Falling in Love Again.
For the first time the Festival included a dedicated hub where artists and public gathered, day and night. Named Red Square, and located behind the Britomart transport centre, this area was home to The Famous Spiegeltent, the Festival Club and the Spiegel Bar and Café. Each night a variety of local and international musicians played at these venues creating a lively Festival epicentre.
Festival Director: David Malacari
2007 GALLERY
August 2008
The Auckland Regional Amenities Funding Act 2008 was passed. The Act established a framework for the secure and sustainable funding of 10 organisations that provide arts, educational, rescue or other community facilities and services which are vital for the Auckland region. Auckland Festival is one of only four arts organisations funded under the Act.
March 2009
Auckland Festival 2009 drew critical, public and media acclaim, hosting more than 100 events across the disciplines of theatre, music, dance, circus, cabaret, burlesque, comedy and visual arts.
New commissions and productions through the Festival's Watch this Space initiative, including The Arrival, The Kreutzer and sleep/wake. Red Leap Theatre's The Arrival went on to tour the world and represent NZ on the international arts scene. The Festival's international co-commission, Ea Sola's The White Body, continued on to Paris, Amsterdam and many other cities.
International highlights included Robert Lepage's The Andersen Project and Nostalgia by Japanese company Ishinha. Red Square moved to Aotea Square and was once again home to the Famous Spiegeltent as well as to the inaugural NZ Post Family Weekend. In early 2009 David Inns joined the Festival as Chief Executive.
Artistic Director: David Malacari / Chief Executive: David Inns
2009 GALLERY
March 2011
A 19 day long world-class programme saw world premieres of New Zealand works rapt (Douglas Wright), Live, Live Cinema: Carnival of Souls, and New Zeibekiko (John Psathas).
International highlights included The Manganiyar Seduction (Roysten Abel, India), U Theatre's Sound of the Ocean, Smoke & Mirrors, Paul Kelly, Daniel Kitson, Martha Wainwright and Jack DeJohnette. The New Zealand Opera's Xerxes, Red Leap's Paper Sky and Havoc in the Garden (Massive Company) were popular events in the New Zealand programme. The Festival Garden was the Festival Heart on the newly refurbished Aotea Square. Taiwan's U Theatre kicked off the Asia Pacific region's first White Night, where more than 50 galleries remained open until midnight inviting all Aucklanders to discover visual arts around the city.
Artistic Director: David Malacari / Chief Executive: David Inns
2011 GALLERY
November 2013
In November the Auckland Council’s Budget Committee resolved to consult in the draft 2014/15 annual plan, to help assess the level of public support for the provision of additional council funding for annualisation of the Auckland Arts Festival.
March 2013
The 2013 Auckland Arts Festival was the most successful festival to date achieving record attendances and more than doubling the box office income.
It featured more than 300 events and over 1000 artists participated including three national theatre companies. There were 63 sold out performances.
Highlights included Groupe F's Breath of the Volcano, Urban (Circolumbia), Everything is Ka Pai, War Requiem (with the APO), One Man, Two Guvnors (National Theatre of Great Britain), The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart (National Theatre of Scotland) and Rhinoceros in Love (National Theatre of China).
A new Maori work HUI by Mitch Tawhi Thomas premiered alongside the re-staging of the Pacific musical The Factory by Kila Kokonut Krew.
Audiences were again welcomed over 19 days to the Festival Garden in Aotea Square, including the Festival Club (Spiegeltent), Tiffany Singh's Fly Me Up to Where You Are which she created with 4000 Auckland children, and Srinivas Krishna's video artwork When the Gods Came Down To Earth, as well as free music, family days and the opportunity to relax and meet friends over food and drink.
White Night took place throughout Auckland City with 83 galleries, museums and other locations opening their doors to more than 20,000 attendees.
Artistic Director: Carla van Zon / Chief Executive: David Inns
2013 GALLERY
Read the 2013 Festival Review here
May 2014
Auckland Council voted unanimously in support of a trial annual festival as part of its budget meeting. The Council voted to provide for additional funding to the Festival for a trial annual festival in 2016.
March 2015
The 2015 Auckland Arts Festival was a 19-day, high-energy celebration of our city, people and cultures with a programme that appealed to all ages and introduced Aucklanders and visitors to new, once-in-a-lifetime performances, mind-blowing art works and ideas.
More than 900 artists from 33 countries delivered 145 ticketed performances and 208 free exhibitions and events in 86 locations across the city. From Leigh to Papakura, Titirangi to Howick, the Festival offered unique experiences for audiences and artists, reaching 180,000 people.
Artistic Director: Carla van Zon / Chief Executive: David Inns
2015 GALLERY 2015 WEBSITE 2015 WHITE NIGHT
Read the 2015 Festival Review here
March 2016
In March 2016, 1,160 artists from 41 countries descended on Auckland to provide locals and visitors to the city with exceptional and, in many cases, once-in-a-lifetime arts experiences.
For 19 days, at more than 100 locations, Auckland was delivered a brilliant cross-cultural, cross-geographical and cross-generational programme of music, performance and events.
The AAF 2016 presented 125 ticketed performances across 35 shows, 200 free events, four world premieres, four season premieres and 15 New Zealand premieres to excited audiences.
Artistic Director: Carla van Zon / Chief Executive: David Inns
2016 GALLERY 2016 WEBSITE 2016 WHITE NIGHT
Read 2016 AAF Review - At a glance
Read 2016 AAF Review - Auckland Premier Arts Festival
Read 2016 AAF Review - Accessibility
Read 2016 AAF Review - Marketing
March 2017
Between 8 and 26 March 2017, AAF 2017 presented 132 ticketed performances, 300 free events, seven world premieres,across 130 venues and locations across Auckland.
Artistic Director: Carla van Zon / Chief Executive: David Inns
2017 GALLERY 2017 WEBSITE 2017 WHITE NIGHT
Read 2017 AAF Review - At a glance
Read 2017 AAF Review - Auckland Premier Arts Festival
Read 2017 AAF Review - Accessibility
Read 2017 AAF Review - Marketing
March 2018
AAF 2018 took place between 7 and 25 March and featured a major pre-festival season of English National Ballet's production of Akram Khan's Giselle. A feature of the 2018 Festival to mark the 10th anniversary of the festival was the Festival Playground at Silo Park. The Festival Playground ran for the duration of the festival and was visited by 60,000 people with ticketed and free music concerts, visual arts, and a food and drinks pavilion.
Artistic Director: Jonathan Bielski / Chief Executive: David Inns
2018 GALLERY 2018 WEBSITE