All Events
Upcoming events
Christmas Night Market
Join us for a fantastic evening at the Riverslea Mall Christmas Night Market in Edgecumbe!
We’ve got a bustling lineup of stalls, delicious food trucks, and entertainment to keep you entertained all night long. Bring your friends, family, and neighbours for a night filled with good vibes, great food, and endless fun!
Thursday 4 Dec from 4.30PM - 8PM
Riverslea Mall, Edgecumbe
Free for everyone!
TBC - Alternate date is 7th
Marshall Inmann Golf Tournament
SOLD OUT
We are excited to announce that the 6th Annual Whakaari Hayden Marshall-Inman Memorial Golf Tournament will be held on Friday, 5 December 2025.
We come together once again to honour the memory of those who passed on 9 December 2019 and contribute to a worthy cause.
Ōhope Craft market
Saturday 6 December, 8:30am -12:30pm
Ōhope Craft Market - a place for arts, craft, food, and good conversation. One of the Bay of Plenty's biggest and most vibrant markets with local crafts, food, plants and produce. Every two weeks over summer and monthly over autumn and winter.
Kawerau Christmas in the Park (times TBC)
Kawerau Christmas in the Park is the Eastern Bay of Plenty’s showcase festive entertainment event, which sees up to 10,000 people packing into Prideaux Park for the celebration.
EBOP Custom & Vintage Car Club
Happens every 2 months on the first Sunday of the month
See some of the most impressive cars on display and chat with their owners! Enjoy a hot coffee, yummy breakfast or just come and hang out with a great bunch of owners and enthusiasts.
Voices Choir
$10 per session at The Comm.
Voices is a social, casual, community singing group for adults and teens focused on fun, friendship, inclusion and self expression through song. We meet up on the first Monday of the month and sing together ‘for-the-love-of-singing’.
Whakaari Memorial Service
A dawn service at The Heads to remember those who died as a result of the 2019 eruption.
Taylor - A tribute to the eras of Taylor Swift
GENERAL ADMISSION SEATED EVENT - ALL AGES WELCOME
Calling all Swifties - make a ‘sweet escape’ to the world of Taylor Swift with TAYLOR: A Tribute to the Eras of Taylor Swift!
Showtime presents Josette with international band and dancers in this joyous, effervescent concert experience, complete with sparkly costumes, cosmic stage production and over 20 exquisite renditions of Taylor’s biggest hits from every era of her career, including Shake It Off, Anti-Hero, Cruel Summer, You Belong With Me, Love Story, I Knew You Were Trouble, Blank Space, We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together, Bad Blood, Our Song, Lover and more.
Join us with us for a fun night of singing, dancing and celebrating Taylor together!
Don’t miss your chance to relive the greatest Pop concert tour in history and revel in all things ‘Taylor’… BOOK NOW!
*This is a tribute show and is not associated with Taylor Swift Productions.
Tickets available from Eventfinda and from the Whakatane isite (Eventfinda agent)
Variety Concert at the Amphitheatre
Details of the Variety Concert 2026 are yet to be confirmed - Watch this Space!
Jazz in the Park
Details of the 2026 Jazz in the Park are yet to be confirmed - Watch this space!
TO BE CONFIRMED Opera under the Rakau 2026
Saturday 14 March
Time: 4pm – 7pm
Place: 1 Salonika Street
Tickets:
Adults: $35 if pre-booked, $40 at door.
Student under 18: $5
Trybooking or The Good Life
Food and drink available at venue
MOLLY MORPETH CANADAY AWARD 2026 - AWARDS CEREMONY
MMCA 2026 Finalists Exhibition Opening and Awards Ceremony
By invitation only - please contact hello@mmcaward.co.nz for more details
Waingarara Valley Market (TIMES TBC)
Wainui Producers Market, held in the picturesque Waingarara Valley.
This free, family-friendly event showcases the region’s best food producers, offering fresh oysters and organic produce to truffles, olives, honey, macadamia nuts, berries, ice cream and wood-fired pizza.
A licensed bar will be available for beer and wine purchases, while live entertainment adds to the fun atmosphere.
Enjoy lunch, shop, and discover unique local produce in this scenic, community-focused event.
ONAM AROHA ATU Cultural Festival
The Kerala Community is planning a vibrant cultural festival, ONAM AROHA ATU at the Baptist Church on 30 AUGUST from 9:30am.
ONAM is a festival of unity, love and tradition.
Let's come together with AROHA ATU to share Love, Food and Joy!
John Chen CMNZ
Winner of the 2004 Sydney International Piano Competition, New Zealand pianist John Chen returns home to present an all-French programme of chefs-d’oeuvre by Francis Poulenc, Henri Duparc, César Franck, Gabriel Fauré, and Camille Saint-Saëns.
Tickets are now available in person (cash only) at The Good Life, 160 The Strand, Whakatane, and online at www.trybooking.com/nz/XYG.
Since this is likely to be a popular concert, Flexiticket holders are advised to use them at The Good Life to get admission tickets. You can also use them at the door.
Remember that there is a surcharge on tickets purchased at the door, so it pays to book.
Here are two reviews of John Chen's Wellington concert on his current tour of New Zealand.
By Elizabeth Kerr: https://www.fivelines.nz/articles/pianist-john-chen-on-tour-french-masterpieces-played-with-formidable-dynamism
Middle C: https://middle-c.org/2025/06/eblouissant-john-chens-recital-of-french-piano-music/
This concert is approximately 100 minutes including a 20-minute interval.
New Zealand pianist John Chen launched his career by winning the 2004 Sydney International Piano Competition, where he also won prizes for his interpretations of Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Chamber music, and Concerto. Since then, he has performed across Europe, Asia, North America, Africa, and extensively in Australia and New Zealand, including performances at significant festivals such as Klavierfestival Ruhr and Singapore International Piano Festival. He has performed concertos with most of the major orchestras in Australia and New Zealand as well as among others, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Hamburger Symphoniker, and the Hong Kong Philharmonic. Notable conductors he has collaborated with include Vladimir Ashkenazy, Jeffrey Kahane, Janos Furst, Christopher Seaman, Christoph Poppen, and Oleg Caetani.
A passion for Twentieth Century French music has led him to record CDs of the complete solo piano works of Henri Dutilleux for Naxos, and a selection of Debussy and Ravel for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Mr Chen began piano studies in Auckland at the age of three. He received his Master of Music from the University of Auckland under Rae de Lisle and an Artist Diploma at Colburn Conservatory in Los Angeles under John Perry. He further studied at the University of Southern California, and with Volker Banfield in Hamburg. Mr Chen currently lives in Kampala, Uganda, where he works as school chaplain of Acacia International School.
Lantern Making Workshop
Lantern Decorating Workshop – Light Up Whakatāne
📍 Venue: REAP, 21 Pyne St, Whakatāne
📅 Date: Saturday, 28 June
🕒 Session Times: 10:00am, 11:15am, or 12:30pm
🎟 Cost: Free
👥 All ages welcome – children must be accompanied by an adult
🎨 Presented by: Arts Whakatāne
Join us for a fun, hands-on workshop where whānau can decorate their very own light-up paper lantern to carry in the Light Up Whakatāne Parade on Saturday, 5 July.
Led by talented local artists Tania Akehurst, Abby Bakker and Sue Whale – part of the creative team behind the Trust Horizon Light Up Whakatāne Festival – this workshop offers a fun and relaxed opportunity to add your personal touch to the festival.
This is a drop-in event running across three sessions. No bookings required – just turn up and get creating!
Twilight Variety Concert
Join us at the Twilight Variety Concert, the final event of this year's Summer Arts Festival on Saturday, 1 March from 5pm - 7pm.
We have a wonderful line up of amazingly talented local singers, musicians, drummers and dancers. Lance Fuller has rehearsed a very special performance (see picture).
Amphitheatre, Whakatāne riverbank (near the skatepark)
Bring a cushion/folding chair and picnic
Koha/donation
If wet, we will hold the concert on Sunday, 2 March at 5pm
Molly Morpeth Canaday Awards 2025
Presented by Arts Whakatāne and exhibition partner Te Kōputu a te whanga a Toi - Whakatāne Library and Exhibition Centre, this annual non-acquisitive award is dedicated to excellence across all art forms within Aotearoa New Zealand contemporary art practice.
Annual Arts and Garden Trail
Join us on the 23rd and 24th of November for a jaunt to visit the Arts, Crafts-people and Gardens of the Eastern Bay of Plenty.
OPEN ENTRIES - MMCA
Get planning what you want to enter for the MMCA 2025!
Plenty of time - we are open for entries until October 27th 2024.
Across the Great Divide - Arts on Tour
Prepare your dancing feet, vocal cords and heart! Here come Across the Great Divide, featuring traditional, contemporary and original songs and tunes from Celtic and Americana roots.
Te Pō Whakangahau - A Night of Entertainment
In collaboration with: The Sound King and WAV’s Audio Visual
The Sound Project Presents: Te Pō Whakangahau - A Night of Entertainment
Trust Horizon, Light up Whakatāne 2024
Light activations and digital displays, by local and regional artists, are installed throughout Whakatāne CBD and illuminated for ten nights, bringing light and joy to the darkness of winter.
The Goblin - Te Tupua, Arts on Tour
1800, a 10 year old Scottish lad is driven into slavery aboard His Majesty’s Ships. After 15 years at sea, he is cast onto the shoreline of Aotearoa. The fight for survival begins.
Blackadder Goes Forth
Coming to the stage in April 2024 - Blackadder Goes Forth is the fourth series of the immensely popular BBC show written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton. The show won the British Academy Television Award for Best Comedy and now it’s being brought to the stage in Whakatane.
Youth Sculpture Workshop
Youth Sculpture Workshop for the School Holiday Programme in Whakatāne.
Youth Sculpture Workshop
Youth Sculpture Workshop for the School Holiday Programme in Whakatāne.
'OF THE SEA' - Collaborative Exhibition
A Collaborative Popup Exhibition. Curated by The West End Wiggle, in conjunction with Arts Whakatāne, as part of the Summer Arts Festival.
Works from around Aotearoa that showcase the essence of Te Moana (the ocean) for four days at the iconic Wharfside in Ōhope.
Positively Patchwork Exhibition
Positively Patchwork is the biennial exhibition of Eastbay Quilters. All quilts on display are locally made by local hands.
IYKYK - (If You Know You Know)
Footnote New Zealand Dance returns with electrifying production IYKYK (If You Know You Know), a double-bill of contemporary dance works by choreographers Holly Newsome and Forest Kapo. These two works present a game-like lens of viewing the human condition - How do you win at the game of life? What are the rules of the end of the world?
Open Studios \\ TE ARA TOI
Join us for the upcoming Open Studio Weekend | Te Ara Toi on March 2nd - 3rd, 2024. This event is a celebration of creativity and artistry in the Eastern Bay area. Whether you're an art enthusiast, a creative at heart, or someone who appreciates the beauty of artistic expression, this is an opportunity to immerse yourself in a vibrant display of art across various mediums.
Molly Morpeth Canaday Award
Presented by Arts Whakatāne and exhibition partner Te Kōputu a te whanga a Toi - Whakatāne Library and Exhibition Centre, this annual non-acquisitive award is dedicated to excellence across contemporary and traditional painting and drawing and 3D genres. The award has developed over 30 years and sits credibly within the New Zealand arts community.
A high standard of work is selected to form the exhibition from nationwide entries by three independent pre-selection judges.
For participants, the MMCA offers professional development opportunities to artists by showcasing their practice to peers, collectors, critics, museum curators, the media and the community at large.
Positive Vibrations - Summer Arts Festival
HANIDREAD & FRIENDs, THA BAHHZ, THE ALLSORTS. Plus DJs Yanadub & others
Kai, kids activities, info stalls, fun in the shade
Dance Carnival - Summer Arts Festival
With plenty of variety, this event will get you moving, showcasing all the diverse ethnic and indigenous groups in our local community.
Become A Volunteer
We are always on the search for volunteers and helpers with our events and community projects. You can either join the committee or simply be involved with the hands on aspect of the events.