Taranaki Arts Festival

18/06/2026

Winter Fest is off to a powerful start 👏 Last night’s opening performance of In Other Words, produced by Figment Productions and starring Jennifer Ward-Lealand and Michael Hurst, left the room buzzing with conversation long after the final bows.

Reviewer Jo Hills describes the production as “confronting, disturbing, memorable and theatre at its best”, praising the pair’s mesmerising performances in this moving story of love, memory and Alzheimer’s.

A beautiful, thought-provoking way to open the festival. Read the full review below. 👇

The play In Other Words has opened Winter Fest Taranaki 2026 and reviewer Jo Hills finds it struck a chord with many audience members.

18/06/2026

Ali Harper has a message for Taranaki 💛

Next week, she brings JUDY'S ENCORE to Winter Fest, an acclaimed solo show the steps inside the music, vulnerability and brilliance of a Hollywood legend.

Winner of the 2025 Solo Critic Award in New York, Judy's Encore is a moving tribute to one of Hollywood's most enduring icons, brought to life by one of New Zealand's finest cabaret performers.

A beautiful mid-week evening of story, songs and old-school star power. ⭐️

📆 Wednesday 25 June, 6pm
📍 TSB Showplace
🎫 https://www.winterfest.co.nz/shows/judy's-encore

18/06/2026

We’re bringing a little extra music to your Winter Fest nights 🎶

Fancy Free Music Sessions are happening across both weeks of the festival, with free live music from local artists and singer-songwriters popping up in the newly renovated TSB Showplace.

First up, here’s who’s playing in Week 1:

🎶MUSIC IN THE LOBBY 🎶
Fri 19 June, 7 - 8pm (before 27 Club)
Nathan Annand

🎶MUSIC IN THE LOUNGE 🎶
Sat 20 June, 5 - 6pm (before Simply Brill)
Black Velvet Duo

Sat 20 June, 7 - 8pm (before Shayne Carter)
Sonic Delusion

Come early, grab a drink, soak up the atmosphere, or just wander in for the music.

No tickets needed, just good local sounds in a beautiful new space.👌

17/06/2026

A little glimpse of the response IN OTHER WORDS has been receiving.👏👏

Tomorrow night, Winter Fest opens with In Other Words, produced by Figment Productions and starring acclaimed real-life couple Jennifer Ward-Lealand and Michael Hurst.

Intimate, often humorous and deeply moving, this is a story of love, memory and the power of music to connect us.

Set to the timeless songs of Frank Sinatra, it’s a rare chance to see two of New Zealand’s finest actors together on stage.

There’s still time to be in the room. Book your tickets now.

📍 TSB Theatre
📅 Thursday 18 June, 7pm
🎫 https://www.winterfest.co.nz/shows/in-other-words

15/06/2026

Winter Fest starts this Thursday, and week one is coming in hot! 🔥

Taranaki is about to come alive with theatre, music, comedy, dance, cabaret and big conversations.

Consider this your sign to get out of hibernation, scroll through the line-up, and lock in a few festival plans.✨

There’s a lot worth getting amongst, and it all starts this week!

View the lineup 👇https://www.winterfest.co.nz/shows

11/06/2026

⭐️ TWO cabaret nights, ONE simply brilliant Winter Fest offer! ⭐️

Winter Fest kicks off next week, and Taranaki is about to come alive with music, stories, theatre, comedy, cabaret and nights out across the region.

To celebrate, we’re bringing two cabaret shows together in one special Winter Fest offer.

💥 Book tickets to Simply Brill and you’ll also receive the same number of tickets to Judy’s Encore for FREE💥

1960s icons, unforgettable songs, big voices, powerful storytelling, and two nights of feel-good cabaret.

SIMPLY BRILL: Sat 20 June
JUDY’S ENCORE: Thu 25 June

To claim the offer, book your tickets to Simply Brill and enter the code PLUSJUDY at the checkout. Your free Judy’s Encore tickets will be emailed to you following your purchase.

Round up your cabaret crew and make it a double bill.

🚨 FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY! Offer expires Wed 17 June🚨

Book 👉 http://www.eventfinda.co.nz/2026/simply-brill/new-plymouth/tickets/code/PLUSJUDY

10/06/2026

The inspiration is wildy unexpected. The result is a hilarious theatre experience you won't want to miss! ⭐

Director Barnie Duncan gives us a rapid-fire peek into the wonderfully chaotic world behind Captain Morrow and the Sands of Time, a hilarious, inventive adventure where two actors and a musician take on over 40 characters 🤯

Fast, funny and brilliantly imaginative, this is theatre at its most playful, packed with big laughs, clever storytelling and serious stage craft.

Catch it on the final night of Winter Fest:

📆 Sun 28 June, 6pm
📍TSB Showplace

🎫 https://www.winterfest.co.nz/shows/captain-morrow-%26-the-sands-of-time

04/06/2026

This special Winter Fest Speakeasy session brings together three treasured local authors, Elizabeth Smither, David Hill and Lauren Keenan, for a warm and thoughtful conversation with Taranaki writer Steph Julian.

Together they'll explore their latest works, the ideas and themes that shape their writing, and the connection to place.

A beautiful session for readers, writers, book lovers and anyone who enjoys hearing the stories behind the work.

📆 Sun 28 June, 4pm
📍4th Wall Theatre

🎫 https://www.winterfest.co.nz/shows/taranaki-taonga

03/06/2026

Te Radar and Ruth Spencer join Winter Fest's Speakeasy series for a lively and humourous session on their book Kiwi Country: Rural New Zealand in 100 Objects.🥾🚜

From Red Band gumboots and Swanndris to milk tankers, meat safes and ride-on mowers, this is a nostalgic fossick through the artefacts, gadgets and curiosities that have shaped generations.

They'll share untold stories, sharp observations and plenty of laughs as they uncover the history and hilarity tucked inside our distinctly Kiwi past.

A brilliant Winter Fest session for anyone who loves rural life, local history, good yarns and the odd object with a story to tell. ✨

📆 Sun 28 June, 12pm
📍4th Wall Theatre

🎫 https://www.winterfest.co.nz/shows/te-radar-%26-ruth-spencer%3A-kiwi-country-

03/06/2026

SIMPLY BRILL takes you inside New York’s legendary Brill Building, the hit factory where young songwriters helped shape the sound of the 1960s. 🎶✨

Celebrating the music of Carole King, Ellie Greenwich, Neil Sedaka, Burt Bacharach and more, this is a night of classic songs, rich stories and feel-good nostalgia, brought to life by award-winning performers Amelia Ryan, Michaela Burger and Michael Griffiths.

Warm, uplifting and full of knockout performances, Simply Brill is a brilliant night out for anyone aged 8 to 80!

📆 Sat 20 June, 6pm
📍Theatre Royal, TSB Showplace

🎫 https://www.winterfest.co.nz/shows/simply-brill