Arts & Culture

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.

Local author and illustrator, Laura Shallcrass, has just released her latest children’s book, Here is Hare. It’s the fourth children’s book for Shallcrass and is an introductory search-and-find board book for little ones, featuring an array of animals including a Kunekune.

In February Arrowtown Creative Art Society will present their inaugural Gardens and Galleries event, offering the chance to explore some of the Whakatipu Basin's best gardens and art spaces in support of Plunket.

SongCatcher and Youthtown have joined forces to release an EP that features some young talent of the region.

Queenstown Lakes District Council’s (QLDC) annual Christmas show will return to the Events Centre on 10 December.

Hidden Identities, an exhibition at Te Atamira that aims to amplify the voices of marginalised communities in the region and beyond, is running until the end of the month.

The second annual Inspirational Women Awards and Gala is happening this Saturday – the International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women – at the Rydges Lakeland Resort

Queenstown and Frankton libraries have an abundance of activities and programmes on offer between now and the end of the year.

Local writers are invited to feel the fear and do it anyway in a new competition as part of this year’s Queenstown Writers Festival.

The Sweet Caroline Tour: A Tribute to Neil Diamond will roll into Queenstown at the end of November.

The second annual fundraising soiree for Liger Leadership Academy will take place on Thursday.

What is art? Why do we make it and what effect does art have on our well-being?