Ten Festive Shows Coming to Auckland
Published: Tuesday 11 November 2025
With the silly season just around the corner, we’ve put together a list of epic concerts, thrilling theatre, delightful dances, family-friendly events and more that’ll have you dashing to the show in no time!
Check out our top festive events below and then gather your friends and loved ones for a ho-ho whole lot of fun this holiday season.
A Celtic Christmas
Sun 16 Nov | 📍 Bruce Mason Centre
Direct from its Off-Broadway season, A Taste of Ireland - The Irish Music & Dance Sensation, presents its holiday spectacular, A Celtic Christmas. Prepare to be enchanted with some of the world’s finest Irish dancers and musicians bringing the spirit of Christmas to life, in a show that will make you laugh, cry, and sing into the night.
Auckland Live Christmas in Aotea Square
Fri 28 Nov - Sun 21 Dec | 📍 Aotea Square
Soak up the Kiwi Christmas vibes in Aotea Square with our biggest programme yet! Grab your sunnies, bring your friends and whānau and get ready for an epic line-up full of FREE music, fun activites and experiences perfect for all ages. Every Thursday and Friday, catch evening sets from some of Aotearoa New Zealand’s hottest musicians including Holly Arrowsmith, Louana, Paige and MOHI to name a few. Plus, experience a speed painting showdown, circus performances and workshops, line-dancing, a K-pop dance party, Christmas Karaoke, an outdoor screening of Arthur Christmas and so much more. Aotea Square is the place to be this month.
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Tue 2 - Sun 7 Dec | 📍 The Civic
This December, the award-winning stage spectacle – Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol – arrives at The Civic to lift your spirits. This Shake & Stir Theatre Co adaptation is brimful of song, humour, love, and lashings of festive joy - perfect for the entire family.
The Nutcracker
Royal New Zealand Ballet
Thu 4 - Sat 13 Dec | 📍 Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre, Aotea Centre
Summer 2025 will be celebrated with an eagerly anticipated new production of the world’s most beloved ballet classic, The Nutcracker. Central to Christmas memories for generations of audiences, The Nutcracker is a timeless celebration of family, fantasy and growing up, where ‘home for Christmas’ is the most powerful magic of all.
The Royal New Zealand Navy Band
Auckland Live Morning Melodies
Mon 8 Dec | 📍 Bruce Mason Centre
As has become Morning Melodies tradition, New Zealand’s only full-time concert military band closes out the 2025 season with their highly anticipated Christmas concert, promising to take you through a journey of Christmas music, from childhood classics to some more modern-day tunes.
Tunes 4 Tamariki: Christmas with Suzy
Auckland Philharmonia
Sun 14 Dec | 📍 Bruce Mason Centre
Sun 21 Dec | 📍 Great Hall, Auckland Town Hall
Legendary Kiwi children's presenter Suzy Cato joins the Auckland Philharmonia in a fun-filled family Christmas extravaganza!
Handel's Messiah
Auckland Choral
Sun 14 & Mon 15 Dec | 📍 Great Hall, Auckland Town Hall
Auckland Choral has upheld the tradition of performing Handel’s Messiah for nearly 170 years, making it a cornerstone of the city’s festive celebrations. Experience the unifying power of this beloved masterpiece and celebrate the season with music that unites generations in the heartwarming spirit of the season.
The Greatest Christmas Show
Fri 19 & Sat 20 Dec | 📍 Bruce Mason Centre
Prepare for a breathtaking spectacle featuring soaring vocals that will fill the theatre with the spirit of Christmas, while incredible dancers and a jaw-dropping cirque aerial act bring the stage to life in a flurry of wonder, skill, and glittering costumes.
Walker & Hall Presents Christmas Cheer
Auckland Philharmonia
Fri 19 & Sat 20 Dec | 📍 Great Hall, Auckland Town Hall
Music is at the heart of any celebration, and the perfect way to kick off the holiday season. The amazing Awhimai Fraser and Nic Kyle together with The Graduate Choir will lift your spirits with a fantastic festive blend of orchestral classics, modern Christmas favourites and traditional seasonal carols.
Love Actually in Concert
Sun 21 Dec | 📍 The Civic
Back by overwhelming demand, Love Actually in Concert returns to Auckland – and it’s as magical as ever. Just in time for the festive season, this heartwarming festive favourite comes to life with the Auckland Festival Orchestra performing the unforgettable soundtrack live as the film plays on the big screen.
