To help you celebrate the 179th Auckland Anniversary, we’ve got a heap of events on offer. Here are some of the fantastic things you can do.

Check out all our event listings and information for Auckland Anniversary Weekend. 

If you're heading out of town, check out this interactive traffic map to help you beat the holiday rush. 

All of the lights

Watch the dazzling Vector Lights show on the Auckland Harbour Bridge.

The six-minute sustainable show will light up the Waitematā Harbour with references to Tama-Nui te Rā (the sun), Hikohiko (electrical energy) and Hei te Ao Mārama (the future world of light), synced with original sound and music.

The show can be enjoyed at vantage points around the harbour every 15 mins from Friday 25 to Monday 28 January 2019 between 9pm and midnight.

It’s all thanks to a smart energy partnership between Vector and Auckland Council, in collaboration with the NZ Transport Agency.

Find out more and listen to the synced soundtrack at vector.co.nz/lights. 

Book a staycation

Embrace that holiday feeling by spending the long weekend in the rugged beauty of Auckland’s parks.

Auckland Council has more than 100 holiday places, so you don’t have to venture far from home. Accommodation options include three family-friendly holiday parks, 20+ baches, lodges, a backpackers on Waiheke Island, glamping tents and campgrounds across the region.

Book you stay at aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/holidayplaces.

City of Sails

Watch Auckland's harbours come alive in one of the world's biggest one-day sailing regattas.

The Ports of Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta 2019 features watercraft of all shapes and sizes putting to the water across the Waitematā Harbour and Hauraki Gulf under paddle, sail and steam power. 

Festival fun

Tick off one of New Zealand’s largest free events, Ports of Auckland’s annual SeePort Festival.

Check out the port from land, sky or sea as Captain Cook Wharf is transformed into a bustling summer festival. Carnival rides, boat sailings, helicopter rides, delicious food, virtual-reality, simulators, tours, music and entertainment on and off the water – little and big kids will be spoilt for choice!

Witness the incredible . . .

. . . at the Auckland International Buskers Festival. An unmissable line-up of international and local performers will hit the streets over Auckland Anniversary Weekend with energetic displays of breakdancing, music, hula-hoops, fire stunts, acrobatics and other crowd-pleasing delights.

Become a Gardner of the Galaxy

Take the kids on a space mission at the Auckland Botanic GardensGardeners of the Galaxy. Find out why plants are essential for life, check out the experiments in the Science Lab, test NASA apps in the International Space Station and venture along the Solar System Walk.

Gardeners of the Galaxy runs daily 8.00am-4.30pm until 10 March 2019.

I’m on a boat

If you’re going to be out on the water, enjoying the harbours, islands, beaches and bays around the Auckland region, check out these waste-wise tips for boaties and the summer waste barge services.

Kick back and relax

You’re set for weekend entertainment with Music in Parks and Movies in Parks.