Auckland Arts Festival 2021 Covid-19 Response

AAF 2021 Shows Status Update on 16 March 2021

RESCHEDULED
With tickets available now

RESCHEDULED
With tickets available soon

AMENDED SEASONS 

  • SING TO ME (Wed 10 March cancelled; Thurs 11–Sat 13 March going ahead)
  • TROPICAL LOVE BIRDS (Wed 10–Sat 13 March cancelled; Tues 16–Sat 20 March going ahead)

AS PLANNED

WORKING TO RESCHEDULE

CANCELLED

For more on AAF’s COVID-19 Ticketing Terms & Conditions, please click here. If you hold tickets to an event that has been cancelled, rescheduled, or is "working to reschedule", you will be communicated with directly via the appropriate ticketing agent/venue. No action is needed.

 

AAF 2021 Shows Status Update on 8 March 2021

We’re back! After the whirlwind impacts of Alert Level 3, Auckland’s move to Alert Level 2 at 6am yesterday morning came with a sigh of relief for the Auckland Arts Festival/Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki (AAF) team.

We have been working tirelessly alongside our incredible artists, venues, and partners to respond to the impacts of last week’s lockdown, and are so grateful for everyone’s patience, understanding, and days and nights of hard mahi. Thank you also to our audience for your continued support and encouragement.

We are now over the moon to announce that our Festival relaunch will begin on Thursday 11 March, starting when A Figure Exhales takes over a Smith & Caughey’s window as part of Acts of Love, and leading into Taki Rua’s Auckland premiere of Sing to Me at Q Theatre (this show will be seated according to Alert Level 2 protocols).

On Friday 12 March, The Civic Club will burst open its doors with the hotly anticipated cabaret spectacular Heavenly Bodies, and we are excited to announce a fourth date has been added (Sunday 14 March, 7.30pm) due to demand. These and all other shows in The Civic Club will be seated according to Alert Level 2 protocols until Sunday 14 March.

Alongside the rest of Tāmaki Makaurau, we remain cautiously optimistic for a return to Alert Level 1 in time for the weekend so that we can celebrate with you and enjoy a free concert by Tigilau Ness & Friends in the Festival Square at 6.30pm on Saturday 13 March ahead of Che-Fu & The Kratez: Return of the Navigator andE.T. the Extra-Terrestrial in Concert with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra.

Also slated for that evening as a part of our regional offering is Sorry For Your Loss at Warkworth Town Hall, and He Owha Matarua – Hauntology of Inheritance (Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 March). We look ahead as well to the rescheduled and very pertinent talk Living with Uncertainty on Sunday 14 March.

Despite the alert level change we have had to still make the difficult decision to reschedule, cancel, and revise some shows between Tuesday 9 and Sunday 14 March due to the impact on planned rehearsal and travel time for our artists and venue set-up requirements. The current status of all shows from this period can be found below. We will continue to update you as rescheduled dates are confirmed.

He aroha whakatō, he aroha puta mai
Kia haumaru te noho

CANCELLED TICKETED EVENTS

AMENDED SEASONS

  • SING TO ME (Wednesday 10 March cancelled; Thursday 11–Saturday 13 March going ahead)
  • TROPICAL LOVE BIRDS (Wednesday 10–Saturday 13 March cancelled; Tuesday 16–Saturday 20 March going ahead)

RESCHEDULED

WORKING TO RESCHEDULE (original dates shown in brackets)

AS PLANNED WITH ALERT LEVEL 2 PROTOCOL

AS PLANNED PENDING ALERT LEVEL ANNOUNCEMENT

We will provide updates on all shows and events from Thursday 4–Sunday 7 March listed as “working to reschedule” as soon as possible.

We hope you are all staying safe and following government guidelines so that we can see you at an Auckland Arts Festival/Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki (AAF) show or event soon.

For more on AAF’s COVID-19 Ticketing Terms & Conditions, please click here. If you hold tickets to an event that has been cancelled, rescheduled, or is "working to reschedule", you will be communicated with directly via the appropriate ticketing agent/venue. No action is needed.

 

AAF 2021 Shows Status Update on 4 March 2021

Auckland Arts Festival/Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki (AAF) sends aroha to our whānau across Tāmaki Makaurau at Alert Level 3 and the rest of Aotearoa at Alert Level 2. We hope you are all staying safe, staying home and following government guidelines so that we can share space together again soon.

Today, we are reflecting on what should have been our Festival opening. We are deeply saddened that some of our artists have been affected by cancellations and possible reschedules due to this week’s lockdown. Making these decisions has been far from easy and we are continuing to operate at hyper speed to reschedule as many shows and events as possible. Join us in crossing fingers and toes for good news of a drop in alert levels this weekend!

Unfortunately, we have also been forced to make some changes to our planned programming for Monday 8 March:

  • We are working to reschedule level up: an intergenerational discussion and will provide more information when it’s available.
  • Shoulder to Shoulder, our co-presentation with Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra (APO), has been cancelled. We are incredibly disappointed that this important show can’t go ahead and remain cautiously optimistic that our additional presentation with the APO E.T. The Extraterrestrial in Concert will still hit the stage and screen on Saturday 13 March.
  • Wāhine Toa Afi has been rescheduled to be presented as part of Siva Afi Festival, where – alert levels pending – you may still be able to marvel at the traditional, exhilarating Samoan artform of fire knife dancing on Friday 12 March and Saturday 13 March at Māngere Arts Centre – Ngā Tohu o Uenuku.

Please refer to our update on 1 March below for the status of shows from 4-7 March.

We will provide an update on shows beyond Monday once we have clarity around whether the current lockdown will end on Sunday 7 March.

In the meantime, we want to thank all of our venues, artists, suppliers, administrators, and crew for their flexibility, willingness, and hard mahi in helping us to recalibrate our 2021 Festival. We also want to express gratitude to our audience for their faith, enthusiasm and patience while we undergo this process. The support across the board is truly inspiring and we can’t wait to finally showcase the work of our wonderful artists with you all, hopefully very soon!

In the event of cancellation of a ticketed performance, ticketholders will be refunded. No action is needed. If you wish to donate to AAF in the spirit of aroha, please click here. If you hold tickets to a show that is listed as ‘working to reschedule’, we will inform you of the new date and time as soon as details are confirmed. For more on AAF’s COVID-19 Ticketing Terms & Conditions, please click here.

 

AAF 2021 Shows Status Update on 1 March 2021

Auckland Arts Festival/Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki (AAF) is sadly unable to open this Thursday 4 March as planned, due to Auckland being at Alert Level 3. We are working hard to reschedule as many shows from our first four days as possible, in alignment with artist and venue availability. Our priority is the safety of our audience, crew and artists.

While we anticipate being able to reschedule much of the activity from the first part of our programme, we have been forced to cancel a small number of shows and events. These are listed below.

In the event of cancellation of a ticketed performance, ticketholders will be refunded. You do not need to do anything. If you wish to donate to AAF in the spirit of aroha, please click here.

If you hold tickets to a show that is listed as ‘working to reschedule’, we will inform you of the new date and time as soon as details are confirmed.

CANCELLED TICKETED EVENTS

CANCELLED FREE EVENTS

WORKING TO RESCHEDULE

POSTPONED VISUAL ARTS OPENINGS

For more on AAF’s COVID-19 Ticketing Terms & Conditions, please click here. 

 

AAF response to 27 February Level 3 lockdown announcement

Tēnā koutou i raro i ngā tini āhuatanga o te wā
Sending much aroha to you, as Auckland enters yet another lockdown.

The Auckland Arts Festival/Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki (AAF) whānau want to reassure you that we are currently working through the implications of Auckland’s return to Alert Level 3 for our programme, and will provide a full update of our plan for this week and beyond as soon as we can.

Though we will not be able to launch in the way we had anticipated on Thursday 4 March, and won’t be able to deliver our planned performances in the first few days of the Festival due to Auckland being at Alert Level 3, we are energised and working swiftly in the hope that we will be able to bring some of the works to audiences in the near future. 

More information regarding specific shows will be communicated over the next few days. We are fully committed to keeping our artists, crew, staff, and audiences safe, and have a clear ticket refund policy in the event of cancellation due to COVID, which you can check out here.

Kia kaha tonu tātou, and thank you for continuing to ride this unpredictable wave with us. Your support and enthusiasm for the arts is so crucial, and we hope to see you very soon.

Kia haumaru te noho
He aroha whakatō, he aroha puta mai
Nā mātou katoa

For media: view the media release issued 28 February here.

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