Spring festival, Japanese bunkasai and jazz
Your Wellington week, 15 to 21 Oct
This weekend
Six picks for Saturday and Sunday
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Mexted Motors Spring into Tawa
Join this community festival with stalls, entertainment, activities and food.
Free -
Bunkasai, Japanese Cultural Festival
Experience a taste of a traditional Japanese bunkasai cultural festival.
Free -
JAZZFEST 2026: Northern Skies Project
Hear a jazz quartet inspired by the sounds and landscapes of Northern Europe.
Free -
Songs from the Edge with Joseph Robinson
Enjoy a selection of folk songs and ballads from coastlines for Seniors Week.
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Let's explore the Wgtn food scene - Pandan $40 banquet
A shared banquet at an Asian restaurant in Lower Hutt.
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Risograph Collaging Workshop
A workshop making collages and doing risograph printing in the library makerspace.
More events this week
Day by day
Thursday, 15 October 2026
118 Tory Street, Wellington, from 5pm. A concert at The Undercurrent as part of the jazz festival.
Italian Film Festival OPENING NIGHT
205 Ohiro Road, Brooklyn, Wellington, from 6.30pm. The opening night of the Italian Film Festival, featuring pizza, pasta and wine.
Wellington Jazz Festival 2026: East Side Jive
The Thistle Inn, from 7.30pm. A jazz group plays classic rock and pop tunes with jazz, blues and swing feels. Free.
St James Theatre Wellington, from 8pm. See the soul singer perform as part of the Wellington Jazz Festival.
Friday, 16 October 2026
Michael Fowler Centre, 6.30pm to 8.10pm. The NZSO performs works by Mozart and Brahms with pianist Isata Kanneh Mason. $27.
Star Time | Wellington Jazz Festival
San Fran, 7.30pm to 1am. A concert as part of the Wellington Jazz Festival.
Wellington Jazz Festival 2026: Les Tripes
The Thistle Inn, from 4.45pm. Enjoy a night of swing clarinet and jazz from a quartet. Free.
Real Black for Me: Zoe Moon presents the music of Roberta Flack
Tawhiri Warehouse, from 8.30pm. A powerful tribute to the soul icon Roberta Flack.
Saturday, 17 October 2026
Benjamin Clementine, Back To Basics Tour
The Opera House. The British singer, pianist and composer performs in New Zealand for the first time.
Monday, 19 October 2026
Thistle Hall, 7pm to 10pm. A Halloween themed art show celebrating its fifth year. Free.
Tuesday, 20 October 2026
Michael Fowler Centre, from 8pm. The comedian performs his stand up show Full Fat Legend. From $101.85.
Wednesday, 21 October 2026
Creedence Clearwater Collective
St James Theatre Wellington, from 7.30pm. A Creedence Clearwater Revival tribute concert.
On now
Royal New Zealand Ballet 2026 Season
St James Theatre. A year of ballet performances featuring old favourites and fresh works. On until Friday 6 November.
Mervyn Kemp (Tawa) Library. A community knitting project to create a scarf for Halloween. On until Saturday 7 November.
Dad joke of the week
What do you call a cow that plays a musical instrument?
Moo-sician.
Council and roadworks
Roadworks: SH 1 Urban Motorway, between Ngauranga Flyover and Vivian Street, southbound. SH 1 Urban Motorway, between Ngauranga Flyover and Vivian Street, southbound. Roadworks (resurfacing). From 9pm Sunday 4 October to 4.30am Friday 16 October. Due to various works, this section of road will be closed to southbound traffic on Sunday to Thursday nights between 9pm and 4:30am from Sunday 4th October to Friday 16th October. Plan your journey accordingly allowing extra time to travel. Detour via Hutt Road.
Metlink Hutt Valley Line and Melling Line: buses replacing trains. Saturday 17 October: buses replace all services between Wellington and Upper Hutt. Sunday 18 October: buses replace all daytime services between Wellington and Upper Hutt. Coming up, Saturday 24 to Monday 26 October: buses replace all services between Wellington and Upper Hutt.
Metlink Kāpiti Line: buses replacing trains. Sunday 18 October: buses replace all services between Wellington and Waikanae. Monday 19 to Tuesday 20 October: buses replace some evening services between Wellington and Porirua. Coming up, Saturday 24 to Monday 26 October: buses replace all services between Wellington and Waikanae. Coming up, Sunday 1 November: buses replace all services between Wellington and Waikanae.
Hutt Road upgrades open up safer connections to Te Ara Tupua. People biking, walking and catching the bus between Wellington and the Hutt Valley can now benefit from a series of improvements at the Jarden Mile and Hutt Road intersection, delivered in partnership by NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) and Wellington City Council.
Biannual sand shift happening next week. Wellington City Council will be shifting sand from Freyberg Beach to Oriental Bay next week for the biannual operation to maintain the size and shape of the beaches.
Metlink Johnsonville Line: buses replacing trains. Coming up, Saturday 24 to Monday 26 October: buses replace all services between Wellington and Johnsonville. Coming up, Saturday 31 October: buses replace all services between Wellington and Johnsonville. Coming up, Sunday 1 November: buses replace all daytime services between Wellington and Johnsonville.
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The whole Wellington week, free every Thursday.
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