Auckland Entertainment

Auckland has some of the best all-round entertainment of any city in New Zealand. There are plenty of pubs and bars to discover as well as a lively club scene at the weekends. The last few years have seen an upturn in the cultural and arts scene, so on most nights of the week, there should be a choice of plays, comedies and maybe some opera or dance.

Nightlife

In New Zealand, there tends to be little difference between eating and drinking establishments. Cafés, bars and pubs all have a strong focus on drinking, but they will often serve food as well. Laws relating to drinking hours have become relaxed over the years and there are now some places that serve alcohol round-the-clock.

Drinking establishments vary dramatically from loud and boisterous to chic and sophisticated. Many of the business crowd that like to party hard can be found in the Parnell area, although it can be quiet on some weekday evenings. The young and trendy tend to congregate on High Street and Vulcan Lane, while Ponsonby is a popular but more upmarket place for drinks and dinner. The waterfront hosts many smart venues, in particular around the America’s Cup Village and the new Princes Wharf development.

The dress code tends to be casual in bars and clubs, but some places may be strict. Auckland is very gay-friendly and many of the gay bars and clubs can be found on Karangahape Road.

The city's club scene is varied and accommodates most tastes including commercial dance tunes and hip-hop as well as more specialist nights such as indie and trance. Venues come and go, and a place that may have been popular one week can soon find itself out of favour. The best way to find out what's on is to pick up a copy of the New Zealand Herald, which has daily entertainment listings plus a more comprehensive guide in its Saturday edition. The free magazine The Fix has weekly listings for live music, parties and DJ gigs.

Theatre and music

Auckland's theatre scene is becoming more and more popular, although there is no professional company with a permanent venue. Touring shows and productions by Auckland Opera and The New Zealand Ballet can be found at The Aotea Centre. This venue also has occasional opera and ballet productions, and classical music concerts.
The Auckland Town Hall reopened in 1997 following a huge renovation, and now seats over 1,600.  This Hall is now considered to be one of the finest acoustically-tuned concert halls in the world. There are regular performances by the Auckland Philharmonic and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.

The comedy scene is well-established and a number of venues hold regular stand-up comedy. Live music is easy to find, and there are plenty of bands and a wide choice of music styles. Karangahape Road in the downtown area has a particularly good selection of music bars.

Festivals

Some of the festivals worth looking out for in Auckland are:

• Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta in January. Often called ‘the biggest one-day Regatta in the world’, this great meeting for boats and yachts reflects the character of Auckland and its environment. The setting is nearly perfect, with the almost landlocked Waitemata Harbour flowing into the waters and islands of the Hauraki Gulf. Over the last five years, the regatta has become a day of celebration for all Aucklanders to enjoy. There are a number of fun and exciting events along the foreshore to coincide with the activities on the water.
• Round the Bays Run in March. This has been an annual event in Auckland since 1972, when the Auckland Joggers Club initiated it. The first run attracted 1,200 participants and it has now grown to be one of the world's largest fun-runs, with nearly 40,000 registered runners and an estimated 70,000 participants. The run is over eight kilometres long, along a flat course that follows the contours of Auckland's Waitemata Harbour. Every registered participant of HSBC Round the Bays receives a runner number to wear on the day and a personalised certificate recording the time they completed the run.
• Waiheke Island Jazz Festival in April features live jazz performances by over 30 international artists as well as by local performers.
• Royal Easter Show in April offers something for everyone including carnival rides, street entertainers and Farmworld. There is also the Art Awards, with hundreds of artworks on show and for sale.