About the event
Auckland Festival 2009 will bring the city alive during March.
This is Auckland's fourth arts festival, a biennial event that boasts a spectacular programme of more than 200 theatre, dance, music, and visual arts events from some of the world's most exciting arts and entertainment companies, many of which have never been seen in Australasia before.
With a bigger, better, bolder festival hub than ever before, and an array of free events for the whole family, there is something for everyone to enjoy.
Expect superb world premieres, innovative artists, great classical works,
a sophisticated late night scene, and compelling, inspiring and challenging
work from New Zealand, the Pacific and beyond.
Event highlights
The Queen Street Sing Sing
The Queen Street Sing Sing, the Festival's music party, is the perfect way for families to kick off
their festival experiences.
Held on the first Saturday of the Festival, Sing Sing combines traditional
and contemporary musical forms with slit log drumming, dynamic walls of choral vocals and
sublime world fusion grooves.
Part of Queen Street will be closed off on Saturday 7 March for the
Sing Sing concert which starts at 7.30pm, after an early evening market village from 4pm.
>The Queen Street Sing Sing >>
The Andersen Project
Hailed as a masterpiece everywhere, this magical theatrical production, inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's timeless fables and anecdotes drawn from his Parisian travels, delves into the life of a Québécois man who comes to Paris to write a libretto for a children's opera of The Dryad.
The Andersen Project >>
Nostalgia
The dynamic, contemporary, Japanese company Ishinha brings its unique, spectacular performance style to New Zealand for the first time, with the mesmerizing Nostalgia.
It is a powerful and engaging tale that combines movement, theatre, dance, voice and an original score in a stunning production.
Nostalgia >>
Gathering clouds
A world premiere, Gathering Clouds is a dance work by acclaimed choreographer Neil Ieremia.
Beautiful in its fury, Gathering Clouds responds to controversial claims made by economist Greg Clydesdale in which he warns that Polynesians display
"significant and enduring under achievement" - a problem he believes immigration is making worse.
Gathering clouds >>
| DATE: |
5 - 22 March 2009 |
| PLACE: |
Various locations |
| TIME: |
Various times |
What is Red Square?
Red Square is the Auckland Festival 2009 party zone - the place to start and end your festival day.
Life, bars, cafes and entertainment. Laidback, sophisticated and raucously entertaining.
In 2009 Red Square takes over the Aotea Centre's bars and balconies, and reinvents the Lower NZI Room as the Festival Club - home to music lovers, party goers and artists such as Camille and Tim Minchin.
The rare and must-see treat, La Clique, is back to seduce and lure you to The Famous Spiegeltent.
For more information see
AUCKLAND FESTIVAL 2009 - RED SQUARE >>
Get a copy of the Auckland Festival 2009
programme now
To receive a copy, please send a request, with your name and postal details, to brochure@aucklandfestival.co.nz
Make sure you get a copy of the programme and book for some of the
more popular events now, before they sell out.
The Queen Street Sing Sing Rate and Win
RATE THIS EVENT
If you received a RATE & WIN competition entry card at Auckland Festival's Sing Sing concert, here are the terms and conditions to entry.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR AUCKLAND CITY COUNCIL'S RATE AND WIN PROGRAMME (64KB) PDF >>
Auckland City Council's role
We are proud to be the core funder of Auckland Festival 2009. We
have taken a major leadership role in getting this event off the ground. This includes establishing the festival trust and providing core funding to the festival organisation.
In addition, we are providing sponsorship of the Queen Street Sing Sing event and Red Square.
A city with strong arts and culture is a city that's great to live in and a must to visit.
The Auckland Festival gives us a chance to celebrate everything that's unique about Auckland.
