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- 🐝 Pōneke House Party, Thai Festival + Grand Final Watch Party
🐝 Pōneke House Party, Thai Festival + Grand Final Watch Party
Phoenix watch party at Fraser Park, Thai Festival, NZ Comedy Fest, glow worms, the Pulse netball derby + a stacked Sunday.
Kirstie and Steve
May 14, 2026
WellyBuzz 🐝
Your Wellington Weekend Sorted
Pōneke House Party, Thai Festival, & Grand Final Watch Party
Phoenix watch party at Fraser Park, Thai Festival, NZ Comedy Fest, glow worms, the Pulse netball derby + a stacked Sunday. 🐝
👋 Welcome
Kia ora Wellington! 🍂
What a stacked weekend the capital has cooked up - we are buzzing for this one!
Our Phoenix Women hit their FIRST-EVER A-League Grand Final on Saturday (Fraser Park watch party all afternoon - cue happy yelling 📣), NZ International Comedy Festival is firing every night, the Thai Festival hits the Michael Fowler Centre for 70 yrs of NZ-Thai friendship, and Sunday brings Welly's FIRST-EVER Halal Market in Ngaio, the Pulse v Steel derby at TSB Arena, plus the all-star Pōneke House Party for our flood-affected whanau.
Forecast is mostly kind - Friday is fine, Sat and Sun partly cloudy with a chance of showers. Layer up and get amongst it. Let's get buzzing! 🐝
🔥 Quick Picks
🎶 Jonathan Lemalu Recital & Masterclass (Fri) - Grammy-winning NZ-born Samoan bass at the NZ School of Music - FREE recital, masterclass and Q&A.
✨ Glow Worm Titiwai Tours (Fri) - Magical 1-hour Botanic Garden wander after dark, $10.
🇹🇭 Thai Festival - Sawasdee NZ (Sat) - 70 yrs of NZ-Thai friendship at Michael Fowler Centre - FREE all day.
🚴 New Bike Route Opening Day Ride (Sat) - Thorndon-Petone path opens with a community ride.
⚽ Phoenix Women's Grand Final Watch Party (Sat) - Big-screen Grand Final v Melbourne City at Fraser Park, Reserves matches from 11am.
🏍️ Distinguished Gentleman's Ride (Sun) - Stylish Wairarapa motorbike ride for men's mental health.
🛍️ Sustainable Fashion Market (Sun) - NZ's biggest sustainable fashion market hits Lower Hutt - 40 stalls.
🌙 Wellington's First Halal Market (Sun) - Halal food + modest fashion at Ngaio Town Hall.
🏐 Pulse vs Southern Steel (Sun) - ANZ Premiership netball at TSB Arena, 4pm.
🎤 Pōneke House Party (Sun) - Comedy + music all-stars at Opera House. Profits to flood relief.
🕰️ Welly's Time Machine
On 1 December 2003, more than 100,000 fans packed Courtenay Place for the world premiere of LOTR: Return of the King. Pōneke went full Middle-earth and we still talk about it.
🍽️ Food & Drink
Sketchbook Coffee is one of our favourite Te Aro pit stops at 40 Taranaki St.
Four competition-winning baristas (incl. 2023 NZ Champion Honoka Kawashima) rotate a new roaster every couple of months.
Next-level pastries, local art, that warm stay-a-while energy. Pop in.
📍 40 Taranaki Street, Te Aro | @sketchbookcoffee
🎉 Events - What's On This Weekend
📅 Friday 15 May
Grammy-winning Samoan bass Jonathan Lemalu - recital with Kathryn Mosley + masterclass. Free.
📍 Adam Concert Room, Gate 7 Kelburn Pde | 🕕 Fri 6pm | 💰 FREE | 🎟 All ages
Billy T nominee back from baby leave with a "family-friendly" act.
📍 BATS Theatre, 1 Kent Tce, Mount Victoria | 🕡 Fri 6:30pm | 💰 $25-28 | 🎟 R16
We love a good pub quiz, and the InterContinental has just kicked off a weekly Friday one - rock up solo or bring a team, with food and drinks available throughout the night!
📍 InterContinental Wellington, 2 Grey Street, Wellington Central | 🕕 Fri 6pm
NZ Comedy Fest rolls into Petone with local legends. Cold drink, big laughs.
📍 Abandoned Taproom, 38 Fitzherbert St, Petone | 🕖 Fri 7pm-8:30pm | 💰 $25-28 | 🎟 R18
TikTok hypnotist Haiming Jiang brings his show to the Hutt.
📍 Lower Hutt Town Hall, 30c Laings Rd | 🕖 Fri 7pm-8:30pm | 💰 See link | 🎟 All ages
Emele Ugavule's Pasifika futurism double bill - two worlds, ecological collapse, stirring.
📍 Circa Theatre, 1 Taranaki Street, Te Aro | 🕢 Fri 7:30pm | 💰 $25-45 | 🎟 12+
1-hour outdoor tour into titiwai (glow worms) world. Torch + brolly.
📍 Botanic Garden Founders' entrance, 101 Glenmore St, Kelburn | 🕖 Fri 7pm or 8pm | 💰 $10 / U12 free | 🎟 All ages (best 7+)
Australasia's fulldome festival debuts in NZ - 8 awarded shorts overhead.
📍 Carter Observatory, 40 Salamanca Rd, Kelburn | 🕓 Fri 4pm, 6pm or 8pm sessions | 💰 Adult $26 / Child $18 | 🎟 All ages
Billy T nominee Kipling DC - shootouts, dinosaurs, Dane Rumble.
📍 BATS Theatre, 1 Kent Tce, Mount Victoria | 🕗 Fri 8pm-9pm | 💰 $22-28 | 🎟 R18
Aussie cult heroes at Meow - 32 yrs of singles, Kong Foo Sing to Polyester Girl.
📍 Meow, 9 Edward St, Te Aro | 🕗 Fri 8pm | 💰 $57.50 | 🎟 R18
Capital comedy after dark - different line-up nightly.
📍 Hannah Playhouse, 12 Cambridge Tce, Te Aro | 🕘 Fri 9:30pm-10:30pm | 💰 $25-29 | 🎟 R15
UK DnB legend Need For Mirrors w/ Automatic, Singr, Pearly, D-Dog + Young Gho$t.
📍 Afters, 38 Dixon St, Te Aro | 🕘 Fri 9pm-Sat 3am | 💰 $35 | 🎟 R18
📅 Saturday 16 May
Royal Thai Embassy free festival at the Michael Fowler Centre for 70 yrs of NZ-Thai friendship.
📍 Michael Fowler Centre, 111 Wakefield St, Te Aro | 🕙 Sat 10am-4pm | 💰 Free | 🎟 All ages
Cycle Wellington opens the new Thorndon-Petone path. BYO picnic, train back.
📍 Meet under the sails, Queens Wharf, Wellington Central | 🕙 Sat 10:15am meet, 10:30am ride | 💰 Free | 🎟 All ages
Take a wonky toaster to Ngaio Union Church for free fixes.
📍 Ngaio Union Church, 3 Kenya St, Ngaio | 🕙 Sat 10am-1pm | 💰 Free | 🎟 All ages
Incredible creations from NZ's best cake decorators - also open Sun 9am-2:30pm. $2 entry.
📍 Silverstream Retreat, 3 Reynolds Bach Drive | 🕘 Sat 9am-5pm | 💰 $2 entry | 🎟 All ages
Suzy Cato + Chris Lam Sam, Zappo, Wellington Carnival Band, Barry Prescott + kid open mic.
📍 Hannah Playhouse, 12 Cambridge Tce, Te Aro | 🕑 Sat 2pm-3:30pm | 💰 $30 | 🎟 All ages (5+)
75-min walk past pines, through Herb Garden to Lady Norwood.
📍 Founders' Entrance, 101 Glenmore St, Kelburn | 🕜 Sat 1:30pm | 💰 $10 / Free for Friends | 🎟 All ages
Women's Reserves v Petone 11am, Men's Reserves v Island Bay Utd 3pm, big-screen Grand Final v Melbourne City 6:15pm. Lounge from 4pm. Free parking.
📍 Lloyd Morrison Suites, Fraser Park, Taita Drive, Taita, Lower Hutt | 🕚 Sat 11am-9pm | 💰 RSVP via link, food + drinks for purchase | 🎟 All ages
70+ dancers, four Welly Latin schools. 6pm SOLD OUT; 3pm includes after-party at Dancetopia.
📍 Te Whaea, 11 Hutchison Road, Newtown | 🕒 Sat 3pm | 💰 Adult $35 / Child $25 | 🎟 All ages
DJ Rafa on salsa/timba, DJ Panda on bachata/kizomba - two rooms.
📍 Dancetopia, 11 Torrens Tce, Mt Cook | 🕣 Sat 8:30pm-12am | 💰 $15 (or Showcase tkt) | 🎟 All ages
Turkey the Bird at Hilltop House - Simon & Garfunkel meets Mumford.
📍 Hilltop House, 17 Upland Rd, Kelburn | 🕡 Sat 6:30pm doors, 7pm show | 💰 $30 | 🎟 All ages
Footnote NZ Dance - 6 influencers, high-energy take on fame. The Post: "breathtaking".
📍 Circa Theatre, 1 Taranaki Street, Te Aro | 🕖 Sat 7pm-8:10pm | 💰 $25-60 | 🎟 All ages
David Correos brings Billy T-winning chaos - an essay, a "really wet" joke, one prank.
📍 The Fringe Bar, 26 Allen St, Te Aro | 🕖 Sat 7pm-8pm | 💰 $32-36 | 🎟 R18
Wrap up + follow a guide through Ōtari-Wilton's Bush. $10 titiwai magic.
📍 Ōtari-Wilton's Bush, 150 Wilton Road, Wilton | 🕖 Sat 7pm-8pm | 💰 $10 / U12 free | 🎟 All ages (no babies, no dogs)
Eyegum fundraiser - Cruelly, Hunter F. Jackson, Ollie Bunnie, Pearly*, Damiasharko, Alayne Dick.
📍 Newtown Community Centre, cnr Rintoul + Colombo Sts, Newtown | 🕖 Sat 7pm-10:30pm | 💰 $20-40 | 🎟 All ages
Matt Drake (Auck), Jen Kyle + Coda across house/techno in the Cuba St Tavern courtyard.
📍 Cuba St Tavern, 172 Cuba St, Te Aro | 🕖 Sat 7pm-1am | 💰 See link | 🎟 R18
Second prog house night - Vic Lo, Dark Cyan, Alopex, Volver Intima, Aldemon.
📍 Double Vision, 128A Park Rd, Miramar | 🕖 Sat 7pm-1am | 💰 $25-30 | 🎟 R18
The Sour debut EP Daughters at Moon w/ The Early 20's + Dateband.
📍 Moon, 167 Riddiford St, Newtown | 🕗 Sat 8pm doors, 8:30pm show | 💰 $20 | 🎟 R18
Welly's indie night at San Fran - 8hrs of Madchester. $20 cash.
📍 San Fran, 171 Cuba St, Te Aro | 🕗 Sat 8pm-Sun 4am | 💰 $20 cash door only | 🎟 All ages licensed
Welly's drag heat at Ivy - kings + queens werking for finale.
📍 Ivy Bar & Cabaret, 63 Cuba St, Te Aro | 🕤 Sat 9:30pm | 💰 $20-30 | 🎟 R18
Orin on Rogan, Carr, Bishop, Musk in a sharp "performative" stand-up hour.
📍 BATS Theatre, 1 Kent Tce, Mount Victoria | 🕘 Sat 9pm-10pm | 💰 $25 | 🎟 R16
Hamish Parkinson + Ryan Richards bring their stupid comedy hour.
📍 BATS Theatre, 1 Kent Tce, Mount Victoria | 🕤 Sat 9:30pm-10:30pm | 💰 $28 | 🎟 R16
Born on Road's Kelvin 373 at Meow w/ Full Time Senders + Juiced Up.
📍 Meow, 9 Edward St, Te Aro | 🕙 Sat 10pm | 💰 $15-35 | 🎟 R18
📅 Sunday 17 May
NZ's biggest sustainable fashion market - 40 stalls of preloved, upcycled and vintage. Green flag = size 18+, red = menswear.
📍 Lower Hutt Events Centre, 30c Laings Rd | 🕙 Sun 10am-2pm | 💰 $2 entry | 🎟 All ages
Free NZ Music Month at Avalon - Hoot'n'Annies, Unity Wara, Motion Duo + The Friendlies.
📍 Avalon Park, 61 Taita Drive, Avalon | 🕚 Sun 11am-3pm | 💰 Free | 🎟 All ages
The Cooke whanau open the orchard for season 4 - fill a bucket, picnic in Molewood Meadows.
📍 Molewood Orchard, 17 Mole St, Greytown | 🕘 Sun 9am-4pm | 💰 Free entry | 🎟 All ages
15th edition of the world's most stylish motorbike charity ride for men's mental health, Wairarapa edition.
📍 Martinborough start point (riders register at gentlemansride.com) | 🕙 Sun 10am | 💰 Free to spectate | 🎟 All ages
Bring the whanau to Evans Bay for a coastline clean. Gear provided.
📍 Evans Bay Marina car park, Hataitai | 🕥 Sun 10:30am-12pm | 💰 Free | 🎟 All ages
NZ's premier sax quartet at Futuna - swing to contemporary.
📍 Futuna Chapel, 67 Futuna Close, Karori | 🕜 Sun 2pm (doors 1:30pm) | 💰 $15 | 🎟 All ages
First-ever Halal Market at Ngaio Town Hall - halal food + modest fashion.
📍 Ngaio Town Hall, 1 Ottawa Rd, Ngaio | 🕑 Sun 2pm-8pm | 💰 See link | 🎟 All ages
Vibrant outdoor market on SH1 - art, native plants, preloved clothes, food trucks.
📍 58 Main Hwy (SH1), Ōtaki | 🕙 Sun 10am-2pm | 💰 Free entry | 🎟 All ages
Piano great Michael Houstoun - Bach French Overture, Beethoven Op.109, Ravel Gaspard.
📍 Waikanae Memorial Hall, 7 Pehi Kupa St | 🕝 Sun 2:30pm | 💰 $10-50 (door) | 🎟 All ages
Round 6 ANZ Premiership - Pulse vs Steel at TSB Arena.
📍 TSB Arena, 4 Queens Wharf | 🕓 Sun 4pm | 💰 From $35.48 | 🎟 All ages
Vegan feast at Bhakti Lounge - stacked burgers, cajun wedges, mango cheesecake, kirtan + Devamrita Swami.
📍 Bhakti Lounge, Level 1, 175 Vivian St, Te Aro | 🕕 Sun 6:15pm (yoga 4:15pm) | 💰 From $5.73 | 🎟 All ages
Co-headlined by Tofiga Fepulea'i + Tami Neilson, hosted by James Nokise w/ The Funkadelics - plus Karen O'Leary, Luke Buda + more. ALL profits to flood relief.
📍 Opera House, 111-113 Manners St, Te Aro | 🕕 Sun 6pm | 💰 From $41.26 | 🎟 All ages
⛅ Welly Weather Watch
☀️ Friday 15 May: Fine. Southerlies. High 13°C, low 9°C
⛅ Saturday 16 May: Partly cloudy, chance of a shower from morning. Southerlies. High 12°C, low 9°C
⛅ Sunday 17 May: Partly cloudy, chance of a shower until evening. Southeasterlies. High 13°C, low 7°C
Friday is looking lovely and fine - Sat and Sun mostly partly cloudy with a chance of showers. Layer up and chuck a brolly in the bag just in case.
✨ Extra Sprinkles
💛 Mary Potter Hospice Street Appeal - Thu 14 + Sat 16 May
Mary Potter Hospice volunteers are out across Wellington, Porirua and Kāpiti on Thursday and Saturday in their bibs with collection buckets and Eftpos machines. Every donation helps keep hospice care free for families and whanau in our community. If you spot them, stop for a chat, say hello, and chuck in what you can. marypotter.org.nz
Mary Potter Hospice volunteers are out across Wellington, Porirua and Kāpiti on Thursday and Saturday in their bibs with collection buckets and Eftpos machines. Every donation helps keep hospice care free for families and whanau in our community. If you spot them, stop for a chat, say hello, and chuck in what you can. marypotter.org.nz
🎶 Looking ahead: When Worlds Collide - Wed 20 May
A special one-night collab between the Wellington Youth Choir and the visiting Missouri State University Chorale at Wellington Cathedral of St Paul. Two top youth choirs sharing a stage - rare treat. Wed 20 May 7pm, tickets at Humanitix.
A special one-night collab between the Wellington Youth Choir and the visiting Missouri State University Chorale at Wellington Cathedral of St Paul. Two top youth choirs sharing a stage - rare treat. Wed 20 May 7pm, tickets at Humanitix.
🌏 Community Shoutout: Wellington Asian Youth
Wellington Asian Youth is a youth-led initiative creating a safe space for Asian rangatahi. Events twice a term for high schoolers to learn about Asian culture, meet others + feel seen. Free + snacks. All welcome. Follow at @wellingtonasianyouth - we love seeing this kind of mahi.
Wellington Asian Youth is a youth-led initiative creating a safe space for Asian rangatahi. Events twice a term for high schoolers to learn about Asian culture, meet others + feel seen. Free + snacks. All welcome. Follow at @wellingtonasianyouth - we love seeing this kind of mahi.
That's a wrap on a properly stacked weekend - whether you're chasing glow worms after dark, dancing salsa late into the night, backing the Phoenix women in their first ever Grand Final, or just diving face-first into a vegan burger at Bhakti Lounge, we hope you have an absolute beauty.
Catch you next Thursday.
Nga mihi nui,
Kirstie & Steve 🐝
Catch you next Thursday.
Nga mihi nui,
Kirstie & Steve 🐝
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