Entertainment Press Releases

With the New Year’s holiday period fast approaching, New Zealand’s young people are finalising plans for what they’ll be doing. While the traditional viewpoint is that this will be fuelled by alcohol and drugs, one large scale event, Primal Getaway, wants to challenge the youth concept that you can’t have a great time without alcohol & drugs.

The West End production of the monster hit children’s tale The Gruffalo returns to New Zealand’s North Island this August and September for an extensive 12 centre tour.

One of New Zealand’s best reggae bands, 1814, celebrates NZ Music Month as the main support act for One of the Worlds top reggae bands Third World!

Relive the ’40s at our tribute concert to the servicemen and women of the First and Second World Wars – taking place on Anzac Day (Monday 25 April) at the Town Hall in Wellington.

The streets and venues of Wellington will be alive with a rich array of arts and entertainment during Rugby World Cup 2011 thanks to the Festival of Carnivale, launched this evening (Wednesday 13 April) by Wellington City Council.

The Lighthouse Keeper’s Lunch runs at the Pumphouse Theatre, Takapuna from 11 – 30 April. The show marks 20 years of children’s theatre for revered children’s theatre company Tim Bray Productions.

The boys are off on the trip of a life time to Europe – they just have to make it to the airport and then they’ll be away laughing. What could possibly go wrong?

The annual V48Hours Furious Filmmaking Contest returns for 2011 with registrations now open at www.v48hours.co.nz.

Mangakino experienced a unique and exciting event in WAKEdUP. 800 audience – intimate & with a positive feeling the crowd loved every aspect of the event except some trouble from a minority.

WAKEdUP = wakefest 2011 / Mangakino : MUSIC | wake / skate / dirt / air | FESTIVAL / FRI 18 / SAT 19 FEB 2011. This week Mangakino in the Central North is about to experience a unique and exciting event in WAKEdUP = wakefest 2011. With the biggest acts in New Zealand Drum and Bass WAKEdUP can stand alone as a music festival. With the of Wakeboarding, Skateboarding, BMX Freestyle, MotoX and Skydiving the festival takes a new perspective of excitement and fun.

The Great Lake Taupō Cultural Festival; a two-day multi-cultural event at the Unison Amphitheatre this Waitangi weekend, will be a haven of delicious ethnic foods and locally produced wines according to organisers.

Orienteering Day in Bottle Lake Forest, Christchurch on Sunday 20 February 2011 has courses varying from beginners to adrenalin-pumping challenges. Starting time is between 10am and noon.

The Hamilton Live Music Trust and Hamilton City Live will be throwing a free gig at the Band Rotunda in Ferrybank Park at 2pm on Saturday 15th January 2011.

‘The Party’ is the first single from four-piece British/American indie-rock outfit The Small Hours. The song, currently on NZ radio, features on The Small Hours’ new full-length record The Battle of Airstrip One, set for release 11 January 2011.

A request for support from local BMX champion Jed Mildon, to look at building a new jump track at Spa Park, has received a very favourable response from Council. Jed Mildon, a local BMX champion is keen to get a BMX dirt track established to promote the sport to young people in the district.

The hugely popular Telecom Tree will again bring some Christmas sparkle to Aucklanders, with opening night scheduled for the evening of Saturday 27 November. Telecom is encouraging visitors to the Telecom Tree to bring gifts for children who will go without this Christmas. The gifts will be distributed around the country by Women’s Refuge – the official charity of the Telecom Tree – for the children to open on Christmas Day.

Visitors to next year’s Ellerslie International Flower Show (EIFS) will be able to enjoy more gardens than have ever been on display before in Christchurch. Exhibition Manager Kate Hillier says there will be a record 45 gardens at next year’s Show – the biggest turnout since the Show moved to Christchurch. At this year’s EIFS, there were 34 gardens while in 2009, the first year the Show was in Christchurch, there were 26 gardens.

Mangere’s new arts centre is alive with performing arts this week, with workshops and performances throughout the week as part of Showtime Mangere.

Justice Minister Simon Power is encouraging the public to have a say on the Government’s Alcohol Reform Bill after it passed its first reading in Parliament today by 114 votes to 3.

He’s travelling half the world to be here – Santa Claus himself is coming to town to kick off this year’s Christmas countdown with the Santa Parade on Sunday 14 November in Wellington. Wellington City Council Events Manager Lauren Fantham says about 60,000 people are expected to head along to the parade this year.