A much-loved Tāmaki Makaurau tradition is celebrating a major milestone in 2026, with Auckland Live Morning Melodies returning for its 25th season of monthly Monday morning concerts at the Bruce Mason Centre. Known for its relaxed atmosphere, loyal audiences and consistently high-quality performances, the 2026 season brings together many of the brass bands and ensembles audiences know and love, alongside special highlights marking the 25-year milestone.
Tickets: $7.14 per ticket, or $54 for a season pass.
Season passes and single tickets are available via Ticketmaster or at the Bruce Mason Centre Box Office. No booking or infrastructure fees apply when purchasing in person at the box office.
For full programme details, visit aucklandlive.co.nz
Programme:
• 5 Oct – NZTrio He Taonga Wairere
• 9 Nov – The Band of the Royal Regiment of New Zealand Artillery
• 7 Dec – The Royal New Zealand Navy Band
Dave Armstrong’s incisive, hilarious comedy epitomises the hopeless merry-go-round of politics that happens every election cycle.Tadpole Productions presents The Surprise Party, a comedy by award-winning playwright Dave Armstrong (Spin Doctors, Niu Sila, Westie). As election fever escalates in New Zealand, The Surprise Party is a madcap take on politics, MMP and the political relationships that exist in New Zealand today. A high-energy comedy about an incompetent political party hoping to survive another election.
pumphouse.co.nz/whats-on/show/the-surprise-party/
Richard is a Councillor for the North Shore on the Auckland Council and Chair of the Policy, Planning and Development Committee. He has led much of the Council’s major policies and strategies, such as the Future Development Strategy, Economic Development Strategy and Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri: Auckland’s Climate Plan. Richard is a big supporter of the arts across Tāmaki Makaurau and the Shore. He credits his background in communications, some very amateur stand-up comedy experience, and even winning the drama cup in high school, for setting him up with many creative skills that help him do this job, respond to media, and chair a passionate bunch of personalities around the council table. He says, “There is theatre in everything, and there sure is a lot in politics!”
pumphouse.co.nz/whats-on/show/creative-talks-richard-hills
A Box of Memories is an award-winning musical that explores what it means to live with dementia, from diagnosis through to end of life. The work offers a deeply human portrait of dementia and its impact on individuals, families and carers. Through original music, warmth, humour and emotional honesty, A Box of Memories gives voice to experiences that are often hidden, misunderstood, or reduced to clinical language.
qtheatre.co.nz/shows/box-memories
Money, marriage, deception, and a family determined to keep up appearances. Get ready for a deliciously chaotic comedy where everyone wants something, nobody tells the whole truth, and a perfectly respectable evening quickly spirals out of control. Packed with outrageous characters, sharp humour, unexpected twists and plenty of theatrical fun, this is a fast-paced farce about love, ambition and the lengths we go to for a better life. Come for the laughs, stay for the mayhem – and discover that when money is tight, anything can happen!
pumphouse.co.nz/whats-on/show/caviar-and-lentils
Presented by New Zealand Zheng’s Music Studio, this 11th annual concert brings together the distinctive sounds of the Chinese guzheng and the piano in a vibrant musical dialogue between East and West.
pumphouse.co.nz/whats-on/show/piano-meets-the-chinese-guzheng
Hot & Flustered Shadowcast present The Rocky Horror Picture Show, who perform the cult classic live on stage while the movie plays behind them on screen.
The true American love story, following Brad (Barry Bostwick) and Janet (Susan Sarandon), who stumble across a transvestite scientist, Dr Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry). Through their elaborate dance and musical journey, they meet a houseful of wild characters and lose their innocence.
Get dressed up, to the movie or the theme, learn the dances, and enjoy the most immersive theatrical experience Auckland has to offer.
The ticket includes a prop kit that you will need to fully enjoy the participation!
Prop kit includes: party hat, rice, party popper, playing cards, newspaper, streamers.
thevic.co.nz/movie/the-rocky-horror-picture-show
Three performances: 11am, 2pm and 4pm
Returning to The PumpHouse Theatre just in time for Hallowe'en! An all-new show along with some old favourites, like the Doves, Chihuahua and Rabbits. But watch out for the Monkeys! A fast-paced show full of Magic, audience participation and comedy, plus spectacular Illusions. Dress up in your favourite costume!
Prizes and Giveaways: Every ticket sold is in the draw to win a Magic Set! (5 per show).
pumphouse.co.nz/whats-on/show/tricks-n-treats-2026
A fairy tale of Alexander Pushkin's "The Tale of Tsar Saltan" (in Russian) – a fairy tale that grows with you. Some stories are first heard in childhood. And only with time do we discover their deeper meanings.
Our Home Theatre invites you to the premiere of Alexander Pushkin’s “The Tale of Tsar Saltan”. This is a story for teenagers and adults alike – about envy and mercy, loyalty and betrayal, love tested by hardship, and a miracle born not only of magic but of human choice. Expect an original interpretation of Pushkin’s great work – with live music, movement, the atmosphere of an ancient fairy tale, and a contemporary theatrical language.
pumphouse.co.nz/whats-on/show/tsar-saltan/
In a war-torn city, a shuttered theatre becomes a makeshift hospital, a fragile sanctuary where international doctors fight to save lives while caught between their humanitarian mission and the brutal reality of occupation. When a hunted journalist seeks refuge, carrying evidence of mass atrocities, they are forced to face an impossible choice.
This is not a play about a distant war; it is a story about what happens when ideology crushes humanity, when the powerful silence the powerless, and when ordinary people must choose between survival and doing what is right. With a final twist you will not see coming, Escape from Garcia will stay with you long after the curtain falls.
Escape from Garcia is a powerful story that asks difficult questions about love, loyalty, and truth. Questions that resonate far beyond the stage. Whether you are drawn to gripping drama or stories that speak to our times, this is a production not to be missed.
This show is performed in Mandarin.
pumphouse.co.nz/whats-on/show/escape-from-garcia
Christmas in Aotearoa means sunshine, pōhutukawa, Christmas picnics… and seagulls who think everything is theirs. But this year, two outrageously cheeky gulls have set their sights on something bigger than your hot chips. As Christmas goodies start disappearing and festive preparations descend into chaos, it’s up to one determined kid to outsmart the feathered thieves and put things right before Santa’s arrival.
What follows is a madcap Kiwi Christmas adventure packed with hilarious antics, larger-than-life characters, toe-tapping festive tunes and plenty of surprises. With the gulls always one step – or one flap – ahead, it’s going to take teamwork, quick thinking and a little Christmas magic to get Christmas back on track.
Fast, funny and full of heart, it’s festive theatre for tamariki, parents, grandparents and anyone who’s ever made the mistake of eating chips near a seagull.
pumphouse.co.nz/whats-on/show/the-great-christmas-gull-grab
