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, important city. Auckland City Council voted to support the
establishment of a unique 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.
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.
February 2005
Auckland Festival, AK05 opened on 25th Feburary. Highlights of the
program included The Death of Klinghoffer, Bangarra Dance
Theatre, The Three Furies, Vula, Commotion and
Cabaret Decadanse.
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 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 Graces'
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.
August 2008
The Auckland Regional Amenities Funding Act 2008 was passed. The
Act established a framework for the secure and sustainable funding
of 11 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 are set 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.
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 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, a dail-long invitation by over 50 galleries to discover
visual arts around Auckland.
March 2013
The 2013 Auckland Arts Festival was the most successful festival
in its history with record attendances at events and largest box
office income ever.
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 4,000 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.
April 2013
City Council's issues vote of confidence and support in principal
for annualisation of the Festival.