In here we show you 10 popular festivals in New Zealand. That’ll Leave You All Electrified As a tourist, the best way to experience this is through the amazing festivals that the country holds during different times of the year. While some give you a glimpse of the Māori culture, some let you enjoy the amazing food and others focus solely on the various cultural art forms of not just New Zealand but also the world. There are certain festivals for party lovers as well that focus on modern music styles including alternative, rock, punk and electronic music genres.
01. Pasifika Cultural Festival
The Pasifika Festival is a Pacific Islands-themed festival held annually in Western Springs Reserve, Auckland, New Zealand. Celebrated since 1993, it is the largest festival of its type in the world and attracts over 200,000 visitors every year. The event is owned and hosted by Auckland Council.
02. Auckland Lantern Festival
The Auckland Lantern Festival is a festival that lets you enjoy yet another culture in the island nation of New Zealand. Held between February 13 and 16, the celebrations are with respect to the Chinese New Year. The Albert Park is lit up with lanterns and the four-day celebration ends with a spectacular show of fireworks. During the festival, you can enjoy the ever-popular Chinese cuisine.
Additionally, you also get to witness various forms of martial arts, cultural dances and music performances that are a part of the Chinese culture. The festival is not only attended by the Chinese locals but also by other residents.
03. Parihaka Peace Festival
In 1881 Parihaka was the setting for non-violent resistance to Pākehā colonization by Māori led by Te Whiti-o-Rongomai and Tohu Kākahi. From 2006 it was the site of an annual peace festival – a tribute to those earlier days – which brought together musicians and activists, locals and visitors.
04. The Kāwhia Kai Festival
The Kāwhia Kai Festival is a major event on the township’s calendar. The festival is a celebration of Māori food from the land and sea and is held on the weekend closest to Waitangi Day each year. It is a popular event. In 2010 around 10,000 people attended – Kāwhia’s resident population is less than 400.
As well as eating delicious food, visitors are entertained by kapa haka performances and flax weaving, carving and tattooing demonstrations. These people are preparing hāngī (earth oven) food.
05. Womad Festival
Womad’s great strength is its eclecticism: there are bands from right across the globe, offering glimpses into lesser-known musical traditions from more than 50 countries, or slamming them together in unexpected combinations.
Of course, you can also enjoy some delectable food from different cultures. The ambience you get to experience here is something unique in many ways because of the cultural diversity on display.
06. World Buskers Festival
World Buskers Festival is a unique festival in many ways because of the concept behind it. You get to witness some of the best busking pitches from around the world perform here at Christchurch. Musicians, visual artists, magicians, dancers, contortionists, comedians and various other artists perform here.
This makes it a festival where you can enjoy multiple genres of performances on a single stage. It is generally held between January 10 and February 3.
07. Hokitika Wildfoods Festival
The Hokitika Wildfoods Festival is an annual event held in early March in Hokitika, New Zealand. Its main attraction is an array of unusual foods, including huhu grubs, lamb’s testicles, and horse semen.
The Wildfoods festival was started in 1990 by Hokitika local Claire Bryant, a producer of gorse-flower and rose-petal wine, who wanted to celebrate the flavours and produce of the West Coast. The first festival in March 1990 coincided with Hokitika’s 125th anniversary and was run by Heritage Hokitika. It took place in a newly-developed heritage area on Gibson Quay in downtown Hokitika. The first Wildfoods had 30 stalls, and attracted 1800 people.
08. Queenstown Winter Festival
The Queenstown Winter Festival is an annual event held in and around the alpine New Zealand town of Queenstown. The festival has been held annually since 1975. It is sometimes referred to as “The Southern Hemisphere’s biggest winter party”.
Queenstown is a major winter destination, lying close to several of the southern hemisphere’s major ski fields, among them The Remarkables, Cardrona, and Coronet Peak. During the 1970s, locals began organising a winter festival close to the beginning of each ski season, starting with a 1975 event organised by musician Peter Doyle and Laurie Wilde, manager of Eichardt’s Hotel.
09. Dunedin Cadbury Chocolate Carnival
This annual carnival delights chocolate-lovers with a week of irresistible events including chocolate tours, chocolate decorating, chocolate painting and chocolate facials, as well as the iconic Cadbury crunchie train.
The carnival culminates with the famous Cadbury jaffa race—a Kiwi favourite—where giant jaffas (balls of orange sugar-coated chocolate) are hurtled down Baldwin Street (the world’s steepest street). Before and after the carnival, there’s plenty to do.
10. Hokitika Wildfoods Festival
The Hokitika Wildfoods Festival is an interesting one where you get to try different wild food delicacies from the West coast. Insects, wild meat, pork, sausages and various other foods are available for you to eat.
That’s not all, you can try some marinated tuna, smoked salmon, and traditional Māori food items too. Additionally, you also get to enjoy various cultural performances at the main stage of the event.