The Spinoff’s top pick of events from around the motu. Here’s the best for the week March 19-26.
Welcome to The Spinoff event guide, your weekly, curated selection of gigs, events and exhibitions happening across Aotearoa. If you want to pitch your event for future guides then please use this handy form.
Tāmaki Makaurau
Music: String Together Concert 2026
Kāhui St David’s, Grafton
3pm Sun, March 22
$20 (children up to 18 go free)
“NZTrio performs alongside the next generation of New Zealand musicians as the Great Hall of Kāhui St David’s comes alive with the sound of strings. This special event brings together professional musicians and emerging talent from the University of Auckland School of Creative Arts and Industries, Sistema Aotearoa, Tironui Music Trust, Avondale College, and Northland, showcasing collaboration across generations.”
Kirikiriroa
Music: Bic Runga: Red Sunset Tour
BNZ Theatre
7pm Sat, March 21
$79–$105
Bic is back with a brand new album and is touring Aotearoa over March and April. Unmissable!
Te Whanganui-a-Tara
Literature: Capital Crimes – Karori Mystery in the Library
Karori Library
6pm Thurs, March 26
“Two-time Ngaio Marsh Awards winner Jennifer Lane chairs past Ngaios finalist Helen Vivienne Fletcher, 2025 Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Non-Fiction winner James Hollings, Verb Wellingon founder and author Claire Mabey, and acclaimed local cosy mystery writer Rodney Strong in a thrilling conversation about how they craft memorable characters and page-turning storylines, and infuse their tales with deep insights into people and society.”
Whakatū
Theatre: Prima Facie
The Playhouse
6pm Thurs, March 26
$34.05
Don’t miss the final days of Nelson’s very own Fringe Festival, with shows including Bunny Boiler, Embarrassed Naked Female, and Four high school kids who think they’re kinda funny.
Ōtautahi
Storytelling/theatre: SELENE
Little Andromeda
7pm Tues & Weds, March 24–25
$30/$35
“A story about the goddess and the dark side of the moon. A young girl is watching the moon landings on repeat, entranced by those astronaut’s weightlessness. A bunch of teenagers are swimming under a lunar eclipse, lost in what might happen next. A mis-matched couple are watching a horror film at a drive in cinema, about to step into all the next stuff. SELENE is a radical explosion of an ancient myth.” Full details for SELENE’s NZ tour is online here.
Tāhuna
Price/Film: Film Films for Freedom
Te Atamira
12pm Sun, March 22 (and on until March 29)
Free
“A partnership between the British Council and BFI Flare, London’s LGBTIQIA+ film festival, Five Films For Freedom makes five international LGBTQIA+ short films available to watch online for free anywhere in the world as well as free public screenings.” See information about the films on Te Atamira’s website, here.
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