Hawke’s Bay is a year-round events destination offering something for everyone.
Come celebrate the best of Art Deco, Food & Wine, Music and Sports events, to name a few. Use the event finder below to find what events are on during your visit.
Featured Events
Hawke's Bay hosts a number of key annual events. Want to join us? See what takes your fancy and check out the events below.
Waka kōrero Māori: waka carrying the taonga, te reo
The Waka Kōrero Māori exhibition encourages learning the Māori alphabet by pronouncing the names of the kaharehe animal treasures on display
CAN Winter Art and Design Market - CALL FOR ARTISTS
Artists and Craftisans!
This July, the popular CAN Winter Market returns and presents a unique opportunity for you, our talented Hawke’s Bay artists to show and sell all the goodies you worked so hard on during lockdown!
CAN will be encouraging visitors to buy local and visit the market safely with social distancing and hygiene regulations in place
Local musicians, soloists and groups present a variety programme, incorporating youth and those reaching out to further experiences - from vocalists, youth orchestras, Symphonic Band, "Fours Company" and Deco Brass
The concept is simple - take a brush in one hand, a drink in the other and let’s paint a masterpiece!
Join us for a creative night of drinking and painting in Napier! No previous painting experience necessary! Get your creative juices flowing and your brush strokes going!
The need to know:
Drinks: Does not include a complimentary drink but available for purchase throughout the event
Join Kitty Day and her talented friends for a chance to enjoy her beautiful self-penned songs and her selection of unexpected cover versions, live at NZ's oldest pure live music venue, The Cabana, Napier
Get your whānau together and join us on a journey to discover the meaning of Matariki, with Kahurangi Māori Dance Company, through Māori song and dance
KITA Release “try to Find a Way” and announce NZ Tour Dates
• KITA • Wellington based psychedelic indie band featuring: vocalist, writer and actor Nikita 雅涵 Tu-Bryant, keyboardist Ed Zuccollo, (Trinity Roots, Rhian Sheehan, Zuke), and drummer Rick Cranson, (Little Bushman)
Heavenly Light - a concert by the Waiapu Cathedral Choir
The programme of our Heavenly Light concert features music illustrating the theme of light brightening the darkness, both literally and figuratively, and includes music composed in every era from the 16th Century to the modern day
Black Barn Bistro x Cazador - Sunday Wild Game Dinner
Join us for a night with Cazador, the iconic family-owned and operated Auckland restaurant, sourcing and serving wild, premium-quality sustainable meats
Join us as the Hawke’s Bay Inkers community group of printmakers celebrate the diversity of print with ‘East Side Story 4’… the 4th annual episode in the tale of Hawke’s Bay artists sharing their passion, and showing the best of their most recent work
Stronger at the Broken Places - Fundraising Art Auction
This exhibition and fundraising auction brings together well-known and emerging artists from around Hawkes Bay to encourage and celebrate the resilience of mothers on their parenting journey
NZIFF - True History of the Kelly Gang *OPENING NIGHT*
From Sir Sydney Nolan’s epic paintings to Peter Carey’s Booker-winning novel, Ned Kelly has come a long way to find himself thundering on horseback across a barren moonlit landscape, dressed only in boots and a flowing lace frock, in this dazzling postmodern version of the outlaw legend
Auckland four-piece Racing return with new single "Flashbacks", and a tour to celebrate the song being released to the world, and the band being released from lockdown
After being scammed into bankruptcy, a community of working-class Argentines band together to devise the ultimate payback – an elaborate money heist inspired by the movies – in Sebastián Borensztein’s winning underdog comedy
A revelation at the French box office that’s also bound to resonate with heartland New Zealanders, In the Name of the Land humanely and bittersweetly celebrates the life of a stoic farmer over four decades of struggle
After conquering Cannes with Shoplifters, Japanese auteur Kore-eda Hirokazu breathlessly transposes his beloved cinema of families, food and slow-burning truths to Paris, with an all-star cast led by two doyennes of the French silver screen
Our live music nights are back, it's been a while and we need a good night out! Join us for a night of music with Tropical Downbeat Orchestra plus an opening act TBC with Akina Vinyl Appreciation Society
Bay Ford Cyclocross Hawkes Bay Series 2020 Race #4
Cyclocross (CX) takes elements from both road and mountain bike racing and presents as a spectator friendly, short, fast race that all ages and skill levels can enjoy
Ginevra Elkann’s lovely directorial debut, set in the early 90s and based on her own childhood, finds three siblings arriving in Rome from Paris on a visit to their unreliable father, where family tensions and spontaneous fun mix
The acclaimed director of The Sea Inside returns with his most handsomely mounted film yet, an expansive yet deep-focus drama detailing events around the Spanish Civil War and the rise of Franco’s fascist dictatorship
Guy Williams is coming to do stand up in Napier, returning to the city as a hero, after he solved the mystery of the two countdowns that are directly across the road from each other
A female-centric, intergenerational haunted house story of the highest order, Relic takes the terrifying conceit of senile dementia and transforms it into a supernatural entity that engulfs sufferers and those who care for them
Premiering their forthcoming web series as a special festival presentation, director Max Currie (Everything We Loved, NZIFF14) and writer Cole Meyers’ queer and trans-positive drama swells with character and heart
An ex-con masquerading as a priest works to heal the wounds of a grieving congregation with his unorthodox brand of faith and forgiveness in this darkly compelling Oscar-nominated Polish drama
In the increasing public discourse on mental health, Leanne Pooley’s inspiring and fearless documentary tracks an extraordinary young woman’s journey from suicide survivor to advocate for those struggling
From Sir Sydney Nolan’s epic paintings to Peter Carey’s Booker-winning novel, Ned Kelly has come a long way to find himself thundering on horseback across a barren moonlit landscape, dressed only in boots and a flowing lace frock, in this dazzling postmodern version of the outlaw legend
The Great Beauty / La Grande Bellezza
The Great Beauty is Paolo Sorrentino’s powerful and evocative tale of hedonism and lost love, and an extraordinary depiction of contemporary Rome – where life is a performance, and the city its stage
Something completely different from the director of Beasts of the Southern Wild (NZIFF12), this swirling, kaleidoscopic take on the adventures of Peter Pan and Wendy in Neverland is uniquely for both mature kids and wide-eyed adults
The concept is simple - take a brush in one hand, a drink in the other and let’s paint a masterpiece!
Join us for a creative night of drinking and painting in Napier! No previous painting experience necessary! Get your creative juices flowing and your brush strokes going!
The need to know:
Drinks: Does not include a complimentary drink but available for purchase throughout the event
It is predictably Nordic that a film portraying the struggle for justice against a mafia-like co-operative in a windblown Icelandic hamlet, where the elements have etched the passage of time into the handsome but weathered faces of both Inga and her husband Reynir much as the rugged terrain they call a farm, would be described as a comedy
In this bright, affirmative lesbian teen rom-com, a girl awkwardly angles for the attention of her high school crush with a little help from the ghost of her aunt, a queer activist with a poignant history in the fight for LGBTQI+ rights
Academy Award-winning director Paolo Sorrentino gradually unpeels the complex personality and motivations of scandal-plagued former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi during a tumultuous period in his career, as his marriage to second wife Veronica Lario (Elena Sofia Ricci) fractures; all the while skilfully threading together stories of a wide variety of characters from multiple levels of society and their attempts to either ingratiate or distance themselves from him
Saudi superstar director Haifaa Al-Mansour’s latest is a winning homecoming; a seriocomic look at the daily struggles of a doctor running for council – and her fellow women and outsiders – within an Islamic society undergoing dramatic change
Director Anna Marbrook honours the last voyage of the great waka maker, sailor and mentor Ema Siope, whose journeys between Aotearoa and Sāmoa in search of healing, and her family’s reckoning with systemic abuse, are powerfully documented
NEW SHOW DATE
The Spirit of Napier: Burlesque & Variety Show
Did you catch our golden lady at the Art Deco car parade? Well now's your chance to see her in action on the stage
The Studio Italia Cinema Italiano Festival NZ invites you to the Napier screening of:
Ordinary Happiness / Momenti di Transcurabile Felicita
In this humorous contemplation on life, director Daniele Luchetti loosely adapts the short stories of Francesco Piccolo into a curiously charming metaphysical comedy starring Italian comedian and satirist Pierfrancesco “Pif” Diliberto (The Mafia Kills Only in Summer, CIF16)
The saga of The Band, whose iconic farewell concert was immortalised in The Last Waltz, continues to captivate in this new documentary shaped from the perspective of guitarist-songwriter Robbie Robertson, only one of two surviving members
Italian Film Festival NZ - 'The King's Musketeers'
The Studio Italian Cinema Italiano Festival warmly invites you to the Napier screening of:
The King's Musketeers / Moschettieri del Re
The band of musketeers; D'Artagnan, Porthos, Aramis and Athos, portrayed in a purely self-ironic and disenchanted key, in a series of adventures in order to save King Louis XIV
The Studio Italia Cinema Italiano Festival NZ warmly invites you to the Napier screening of:
The Champion / Il Campione
Set in the glossy world of professional, millionaire footballers in Italy, The Champion wonderfully pairs the talents of versatile veteran Stefano Accorsi (The Italian Race CIF17) with an extraordinary Andrea Carpenzano (Boys Cry CIF17) in this story of friendship, betrayal, and learning who to trust
The Studio Italia Cinema Italiano Festival warmly invites you to the Napier screening of:
Tomorrow's a New Day / Domani e un altro Giorno
Italian greats Marco Giallini and Valerio Mastandrea star in this exceptional remake of the multi award-winning Spanish-Argentinian favourite Truman, imbued with a very Roman flavour
Winner of the 2019 Michael Hill International Violin Competition Anna Im and beloved New Zealand pianist Stephen De Pledge come together for a concert of works by Mozart, Beethoven, Wieniawski and Clara Schumann
Italian Film Festival NZ - 'The Invisible Witness'
The Studio Italia Cinema Italiano Festival NZ warmly invites you to the screening of:
The Invisible Witness / Il Testimone Invisible
When slick and successful businessman Adriano (Riccardo Scamarcio, Loro CIF2020) wakes up next to his dead mistress in a resort hotel room, he becomes the obvious chief suspect
The concept is simple - take a brush in one hand, a drink in the other and let’s paint a masterpiece!
Join us for a creative night of drinking and painting in Napier! No previous painting experience necessary! Get your creative juices flowing and your brush strokes going!
The need to know:
Drinks: Does not include a complimentary drink but available for purchase throughout the event
The Studio Italia Cinema Italiano Festival warmly invites you to the screening of:
Don't Stop Me Now / Ma Cosa Ci Dice Il Cervello
Giovanna (Cortellesi) is a plain-Jane mum, who divides her time between her boring accounting job and her daughter’s school commitments, ever the responsible parent with a humdrum life
This exhibition features a group of well-known, established artists from Heretaunga/Hawkes Bay; Troy Gardiner, Clayton Gibson, Andy Heyward, Ross Mackay, Jean McGavock and Ricks Terstappen
The Studio Italia Cinema Italiano Festival warmly invites you to the screening of:
Amazing Leonardo / Io, Leonardo
This extraordinary biopic marks the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci’s death and stars Italian A-lister Luca Argentero (Eat Pray Love, 2010)
Bay Ford Cyclocross Hawkes Bay Series 2020 Race #5
Cyclocross (CX) takes elements from both road and mountain bike racing and presents as a spectator friendly, short, fast race that all ages and skill levels can enjoy
The concept is simple - take a brush in one hand, a drink in the other and let’s paint a masterpiece!
Join us for a creative night of drinking and painting in Napier! No previous painting experience necessary! Get your creative juices flowing and your brush strokes going!
The need to know:
Drinks: Does not include a complimentary drink but available for purchase throughout the event
Promise and Promiscuity: A New Musical by Jane Austen
Penny Ashton, NZs favourite bonnet fancier, is back! After wowing the Hawke's Bay Arts Festival, the Edinburgh Festival, Colin Mochrie and the Adelaide Festival to name but a few, Penny Ashton is coming home for one last time with world acclaimed sell out smash-hit, Promise and Promiscuity
The concept is simple - take a brush in one hand, a drink in the other and let’s paint a masterpiece!
Join us for a creative night of drinking and painting in Napier! No previous painting experience necessary! Get your creative juices flowing and your brush strokes going!
The need to know:
Drinks: Does not include a complimentary drink but available for purchase throughout the event
Bay Ford Cyclocross Hawkes Bay Series 2020 Race #6
Cyclocross (CX) takes elements from both road and mountain bike racing and presents as a spectator friendly, short, fast race that all ages and skill levels can enjoy
The concept is simple - take a brush in one hand, a drink in the other and let’s paint a masterpiece!
Join us for a creative night of drinking and painting in Napier! No previous painting experience necessary! Get your creative juices flowing and your brush strokes going!
The need to know:
Drinks: Does not include a complimentary drink but available for purchase throughout the event
After selling out Auckland's Powerstation in just six days, Auckland's indie faves The Beths announce a nationwide tour in support of their new record Jump Rope Gazers, out next Friday 10 July on Carpark Records
Presented by: Rochelle Spence Dance Studio
The Rochelle Spence Dance Studio will present ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ as the main part of their annual dance recital on Saturday 4th April at the Napier Municipal Theatre with performances at 2pm and 7pm
Chur whanau we're Heavy Rootz just a bunch of Maori boys who enjoy Playing reggae with a twist , keen to see us don't hesitate get at us much love, 1 love
The Hawke’s Bay Wine Auction celebrates 29 years in 2020 with Hawke’s Bay’s most talented winemakers providing over 40 lots of wine, many of which are being specially blended
There’s more to being a bird than flying! Tere the tūī and Taitū the takahē are two very different sorts of birds: one loves to flit and twirl about in the sky, while the other prefers to rustle around in the undergrowth
The Mum’s, Bub’s, & Dad’s Wellness Expo we want to be a community event where parents, parents to be or individuals planning to have a family can go and get information and advice to help them to make the right decisions for their family
Trinity Hill Hawkes Bay 4-Course Golf & Wine Classic
PaR nz Golfing Holidays is pleased to reconfirm our partnership with the award-winning Trinity Hill Wines and World #22 Cape Kidnappers in an awesome line-up of courses for the 5th annual Trinity Hill Hawkes Bay 4-Course Golf & Wine Classic to be held from
Tournament packages include 4 rounds of golf playing Cape Kidnappers in carts, Hastings GC, Napier GC and Maraenui GC, player pack, registration with wine tastings at Trinity Hill Winery, a Welcome Function with food and wine matching and a Prize Giving Dinner with food and wine matching
Following their sell-out 2019 performances of Swan Lake, the Imperial Russian Ballet Company return to New Zealand to perform a double bill, The Nutcracker & Don Quixote
Get tomorrow's ideas today! With over 120 exhibitors, 'Ask an Expert' sessions, latest trends, innovations and exclusive show specials it’s the place to be for solutions for sustainable homes, gardens and better living
The Mission Concert’s favourite artist, Sir Rod Stewart, returns this November as part of his The Hits! world tour - a 50-year celebration of his stellar career, a career highlighted by extraordinary performances at The Mission in 2005 and 2012
Are you Hawke’s Bays Top Team?
The iconic 80’s travelling game show saw teams representing New Zealand towns pitted against each other, in a series of colourful challenges
One of New Zealand's most iconic events is back in 2021 - The Napier Art Deco Festival!
This is a five day Festival like no other, where locals and visitors alike come together to celebrate Hawke's Bay's unique Art Deco heritage
back
Tue 1 Jan - Thu 31 Dec
