Exhibition AUG 29 - NOV 9, 2026 The Adam Portraiture Awards 2026 Free VENUE: Whakaari The Adam Portraiture Award is Aotearoa New Zealand's premier award for painted portraiture. Presented biennially by the New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakaata, the award has become one of the country's most significant and anticipated art prizes.
Exhibition SEP 24 - OCT 21, 2026 Mīharo: Legends of Our Lands – Our People, Our Places, Our Stories Free VENUE: Manaaki Nui Presented as part of Mīharo’s annual art awards and exhibition, Legends of Our Lands – Our People, Our Places, Our Stories brings together artworks by tamariki and rangatahi from Early Childhood, Primary and Secondary education, alongside artists in Mīharo’s open 18–25-year-old category. The opening for the show and awards will be presented on Wednesday 23 September at 5.30pm - all are welcome to join.
Tamariki (kids) SEP 28 - OCT 9, 2026 September – October Holiday Programme 2026 $32 (Half day) $64 (Full day) VENUE: Mahi Tahi Our September-October Arts Holiday Programme is back with two weeks of hands-on creative adventures for tamariki aged 5–7 and 8–13. With classes running from Monday 28 September - Friday 9 October from 9am - Extended hours available.
Performance OCT 9, 2026 AWE+ Emerging Artist Showcase VENUE: Whakaari An AWE+ Free Performance showcasing our 2026 Emerging Artists and composer, this programme traces lines of friendship, place and musical inheritance. This free showcase runs from 4:45 - 5:30pm.
Talks OCT 9, 2026 Winterstellar: At the Edge of the Universe VENUE: Whakaari An AWE+ Free Talk from Emeritus Professor Brian J Boyle exploring why Otago is such a special place on the planet for astronomy. Experience the majesty of our night skies, with a little bit of astrophysics and cosmology thrown in. This talk runs from 6:30 - 7pm and is free to attend.
Performance OCT 9, 2026 Radiance $70 adult, $25 student VENUE: Whakaari Radiance explores music drawn along the threshold between presence and distance, memory and vastness. From the incomprehensible scale of deep space to the intimacy of nocturnal reflection, musical lines drift, suspend, and hover between what is present and what is remembered, what is near and what lies beyond the reach of human scale. Part of the At the World's Edge Festival of Chamber music, this performance runs from 7:30 - 9pm.
Drop-in Sessions OCT 10, 2026 Saturday Arts Social Free VENUE: Puāwai Saturday Arts Social is a multi-arts programme and morning tea designed for our 60+ community. We gather every Saturday morning for a broad programme of events including concerts, art workshops, dance/movement classes and artist talks. Next event: Saturday 10 October, 10:30am.
Workshops OCT 10, 2026 The Art of Words | A Writing Workshop $49 VENUE: Whakaari From Keats’ ‘Ode to a Grecian Urn’ to Girl with a Pearl Earring starring Scarlett Johansson, art has long inspired screenwriters, poets and writers. Join poet, songwriter and editor Laura Williamson for a session set among, and inspired by, the finalists for The Adam Portraiture Award 2026. Workshop runs 1-4pm.
Talks OCT 11, 2026 In Conversation: Composer in Residence, Michael Norris VENUE: Te Atamira An AWE+ Free Talk with this year’s Composer in Residence, Michael Norris who will talk about his life and music. Part of the At the World's Edge Festival of chamber music, this event runs from 3:45 - 4:30pm. Free to attend, no bookings required.
Performance OCT 11, 2026 The Line $70 adult, $25 student VENUE: Whakaari Te Atamira brings the festival to a close with The Line, a programme that traces music's most essential journey: from a single footprint in an empty landscape, through voices shaped by love, loss, and encounter, to a musical line forcibly rewritten by history, revealing music's enduring ability to connect us across time. Running for 90minutes, there are two performances of The Line: 2pm or 5pm.
Tamariki (kids) OCT 12, 2026 Wriggle and Rhyme Free VENUE: Kapa Tahi Wriggle and Rhyme is a free weekly music and movement programme for ages 0 – 2, facilitated by Sunny Sky from EpicKids. Held every Monday, there are two age-specific sessions available each week: 10am – 10:45am for Toddlers (Under-2s) and 11:00am – 11:45am for Babies.
Rangatahi (Teens) OCT 12, 2026 Art Space for Teens $22 Per week VENUE: Mahi Tahi Looking for somewhere to get creative after school? Art Space for Teens is a relaxed, supportive visual arts space for young people aged 14–18 to experiment, develop ideas and create on their own terms. Mondays during Term 4, from 3:30pm. Stay any time you like up until 5:30pm. Registrations are essential. Book individual classes, or the full term.
