Queenstown's Art and Culture Events 2025

The Queenstown Lakes region has a rich and vibrant cultural calendar. There’s a huge variety of arts and cultural events every year, and the 2026 line up is bigger than ever.

No matter the season, there’s plenty for art lovers to see, do and get involved in. With many events hosted over public holiday weekends, it pays to plan ahead, lock in accommodation and get ready for a cultural weekend away in Queenstown.

Here are some of Queenstown’s best arts and culture events to mark in your diary.

Year-round events

Queenstown Arts & Crafts Market

Take yourself for a stroll down Marine Parade on Queenstown’s lakefront on a Saturday morning and you’ll discover a wonderful collection of arts and crafts. Stallholders at this market are (usually) the creators, so it’s a rare chance to chat with an artist and find out more about their craft before buying a gift for someone special – or yourself!

Find hand-made handbags, fancy soaps, pounamu, ceramics and art prints here, and so much more.

Te Atamira

Te Atamira is a community arts and culture space in Frankton, Queenstown. As well as hosting regular dance and music classes, there’s a vibrant calendar of events from exhibitions to artistic workshops to film showings.

Tiny Room Concerts

Every Thursday throughout the year, the Blue Door hosts Tiny Room Concerts – hour-long, intimate concerts in the tiny Blue Door bar. Each concert is based on a musical theme, or the work of a particular artist. Talented local musicians tell stories and sing songs.

Te Wāhi Toi

Discover even more Queenstown art and cultural events and connect and collaborate with our local creative community over at Te Wāhi Toi, a dedicated online directory for arts, culture and creativity in our district.

Autumn Events 

Arrowtown Autumn Festival

Enjoy Arrowtown's beautiful autumn colours, sample local cuisine, watch the parade, partake in a workshop or even do some native tree planting. The Arrowtown Autumn Festival 15-19 April 2026 will bring a host of great events and workshops to this stunning historic gold mining town.

Queenstown theatre

ShowBiz is Queenstown’s only community theatre company dedicated to musical theatre; they have a rich history of putting on top-notch performances.

In May each year, they put on an epic musical production, and past shows have included Little Shop of Horrors, School of Rock and Legally Blonde. From 14-23 May 2026, ShowBiz is presenting '9 to 5: The Musical' on Queenstown's stage. Find out more information on their website. 

Winter events

NZ Mountain Film & Book Festival

For more than two decades, the NZ Mountain Film & Book Festival has showcased a range of inspirational films and books about adventurers. The 24th edition of this popular seven-day event will be held in Wānaka from 19 to 23 June and in Queenstown on 25 and 26 June this year. Click here to find out more.

Winter Pride

Winter Pride is a festival that celebrates love, community, diversity, visibility, safety, and inclusion. The festivities feature a huge variety of both on and off-mountain events, ensuring there's something for everyone. From energetic dance parties and spectacular shows to more laid-back, creative gatherings, you'll find entertainment for every style. Join us for Winter Pride 2026 from the 28 August to 9 September for a celebration of love, diversity, and the power of community.

Spring events

At The World's Edge Festival

At The World’s Edge is a classical music festival showcasing world-class chamber music in a series of live events across the region from 3 - 16 October 2026. Performances take place in carefully chosen venues in Queenstown, Cromwell, Bannockburn and Wanaka. Each venue lends itself perfectly to the intimate sound of chamber music. This year’s line-up brings some of Aotearoa’s most acclaimed chamber musicians to the Queenstown Lakes region and are joined by a cast of renowned international artists.

Put together by renowned New Zealand violinists Justine Cormack and Benjamin Baker, the festival features celebrated chamber works, lesser-known pieces and bold new compositions that highlight the many ways composers engage with nature. Explore this year's programme and get your tickets here. 

Queenstown Writers Festival

The Queenstown Writers Festival is an unmissable event from for anyone who loves books, words and conversation. Authors, performance poets, playwrights, children’s writers and journalists come together to talk about their work and run writing workshops. Hosted at community arts facility, Te Atamira, expect a cosy literary weekend from 6 - 8 November 2026 with some of New Zealand’s (and the world’s) best writers at this boutique festival.

Summer events

Lyrics and Lines Exhibition

Held at Te Atamira from 5 December to 9 February, Lyrics and Lines playfully explores the concept of creative mark-making, inviting you to consider the patterns that shape our lives and environment. Inspired by the Chartwell 50th Anniversary Project, this exhibition features the work of six leading contemporary artists from Australasia, each showcasing unique approaches to the use of lines and marks in their art.