Arts & Culture

Wakatipu High School students are getting ready to take their mainstage to perform American musical Hairspray. The show is their annual musical production and will open at the start of April.

Songwriter Society is a monthly open mic night for writers of original songs and poetry – all are welcome. The event is held at the Sherwood and run by local musicians Clair Forrester and Paul Marcham, aka Choice. The next one is this Thursday, then Thursday, 25 April.

IYKYK (If You Know You Know) is a double-bill of contemporary dance, with works by choreographers Holly Newsom and Forest Kapo, coming to Queenstown this weekend.

The classic love story of Romeo and Juliet will play out in Wānaka this Friday but with a wee bit of a twist.

We believe in the transformative power of the arts to spark conversations, challenge perceptions, and connect people.

Stroll down the Buckingham Street courtyard in Arrowtown and you’ll stumble across its latest art installation, Crescendo, a three-and-a-half metre white granite sculpture by Jack Stobart, founder and director of Birdwoods Gallery.

With a creative reputation spanning three decades, John Reynolds is the artist New Zealand turns to for works with a mischievous punch.

Two New Zealand musicians have joined forces to release “Good Miles to Go,” an Americana-roots style of song.

It’s a changing of the guard at the iconic Ivy Box art gallery on Queenstown’s lakefront.

Remarkable Theatre annual garden show will run this weekend, taking over Queenstown Gardens

The first phase of beautifying some of the region’s Chorus telecommunication cabinets is now complete, with plans already underway for more to be painted this year.

After a childhood roaming the dramatic landscapes at Karekare on Auckland’s West Coast, and now living in a 1960s crib at the foot of the mountains in Arrowtown, its no wonder local artist Jasmine Clark has a penchant for pondering sculptural forms and spotting patterns in nature.

India Meets Ireland is a performance that showcases the colourful contrast and musical magic created by these two cultures through their ragas and reels.

The Summer Concert Tour will head to Gibbston Valley this weekend, bringing with it sweet sounds from Simple Minds, Texas, Collective Soul and Pseudo Echo. The Queenstown leg is the last in a trio of shows, with the other two taking place in Taupō and Hamilton this past weekend. It’s the 14th year of operation for Dean Calvert and his wife, Amanda, who started this back in 2011.

The ‘people’s poet’ Hone Tuwhare has inspired four acclaimed printmakers to create a visual connection with the written word.

It’s shaping up to be a good season for foodies with a number of food truck events popping up around Queenstown. An array of food trucks take over the picturesque Red Barn each Thursday evening, and Country Lane from noon on the last Sunday of every month during summer. Sweet and savoury options are available as well as live music – the events have a family-friendly atmosphere.

This Saturday Arrowtown Athenaeum Hall will be transformed to be a wee bit Scottish as it hosts Burns Night celebrations. The event, which is in honour of the 18th Century poet Robert Burns, will include a three-course meal, good craic, poetry readings, a band, traditional dance and drinks.

With the start of this new year, we’ve decided to re-activate The Tight Five as a summer series to inform, inspire and highlight the creative undercurrent of our district. First up for 2024 is sculptural artist Melissa Macleod.