Events

TUESDAY QUIZ NIGHTS AT IGUANA!

From 7pm on Tuesday, 19th August, Iguana's Garden Bar will be transforming into QUIZ NIGHT – EVERY TUESDAY!

Hosts Albie and Eddie @quiznzuk will be bringing the laughs, the challenges and trivia for what's guaranteed to be a fantastic night.

Book by calling 07 834 2280 or email info@iguana.co.nz

Max 8 players per team

7pm start

Cash prizes for 1st and 2nd

Full food and bar service (including daily deals!)

Get your team together and come and join the fun!

Mark your calendar—Hamilton Central is the place to be this September!

Improv Combat returns for 2025 with more improvised comedy, but this time, the joke’s on you!

Across each performance in this four-show season, a rotating cast of Hamilton’s finest improvisers in makeshift teams will battle against each other to win the favour (and the laughs) of their audience in a refreshing new game show format. Teams will enter each performance completely unaware of what games they will be playing, what scenes they will create, and what challenges host Conor Maxwell will force them to complete. These improvisers are here to bring this jokes, but this time, the jokes may very well be on them!

Improv Combat: Jokes on You! will take to the stage in the Meteor theatre’s Massé Lounge and Nancy Caiger Gallery on four fortnightly Sundays from the 12th of September, so come along and see Hamilton improv at its most spontaneous. Remember, with improv comedy, each show and each scene within it will be uniquely driven by suggestions from the audience. The fate of these performers is in your hands…

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June Ma is a Chinese original from Hong Kong China, and who immigrated to New Zealand 36 years ago. She has one daughter who is married with two young kids. They live in Hamilton close by. Ma studied three years of arts in the late 1990s in New Zealand. At Waiariki Polytechnics in Rotorua, and then 2nd and the 3rd year was in Soulthland Polytechnic in Invercargill. She discovered she had a talent creating arts when she started her art study, and she enjoyed a variety of media. When Ma was a child, due to the circumstances at that time, she had very little time or art classes available . She started work when she was 12 and also attended night school which didn’t have any arts subjects. Ma is thankful New Zealand has given her this opportunity to attend art studies, and that she discovered art and creativity within her.

Art Diorama is a local amateur artist originally from the UK. They create abstract art for fun. Their art is essentially elaborate doodles. Doodling is their mindfulness practice. It focusses and quietens their brain. They doodle with no set plan and draw whatever comes to mind. Each picture is an original with no copies. Friends and colleagues have told them they like their works, so they have decided to take a risk and display them. They hope you enjoy the exhibition.

The Nancy Caiger Gallery is open 11am-2pm from Wednesday to Saturday. If you’d like to visit this exhibition outside of these opening hours, please email kiaora@themeteor.co.nz

Experience the magic of Italian cinema as the 10th Cinema Italiano Festival returns to Lido Hamilton!

Get your tickets for the Gala Opening on Wed 17 Sep featuring the award-winning film Gloria! Your ticket includes a glass of wine or beer to enjoy during this fantastic Italian-themed evening.

Browse the fantastic selection of films screening from 17th September to 5th October. Tickets on sale now—secure yours today and be transported to the heart of Italy without leaving Hamilton!

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TWO comedians, ONE night, ONE great price.

The most Haunted Comedian in all of New Zealand (Callum Wagstaff) and indie darling George Fenn (as Sexy Ghost Boy) are here to Split your Sides this Spooky Season, using comedy to defang all of your worst fears.

The show is strictly R18. It contains sexual themes and nudity up to underwear.

Doors open from 7pm, show at 8:30pm. There will be an intermission.

Tickets $30 waged / $20 unwaged / $35 on the door.*LIMITED* Early Bird 241 Tickets $15 each.

GEORGE FENN (he/she/they) George is a genre bending comedy theatre maker based in Ōtautahi specialising in audience interaction, described by witnesses as a hot mess mash up of Mr Bean and Marina Abramović.

Winner Organised Chaos Award (Auckland Fringe 2024) Bizarre and Charming Award (Hastings Fringe 2024) Spirit of the Fringe (2017 and 2020.) Nominated Outstanding Performer (Dunedin Fringe 2025)

“a theatrical alchemist, Fenn has the rare talent to create something utterly ridiculous yet very clever..." - Rosheen Fitzgerald, Theatreview

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26 September

31 October

28 November

Join us on the last Friday of every month (except December) for a relaxed morning at the Museum designed especially for whaanau with babies and pre-school aged children.

Enjoy a welcoming space to connect with others and explore the galleries at your own pace. We'll be in a different gallery every month and our friendly team will be on hand to answer questions and help you feel at home.

Whether you're new to Hamilton or just looking for a gentle outing, this is a great way to enjoy art and culture in a baby-friendly environment.

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Wing Valley Productions brings Outside In

Seven women navigate their lives and themselves inside prison, trying to manage how much the outside seeps in. As a new inmate arrives and another prepares to leave, the cracks appear in a dangerously-thin veneer of order.

Beaton created the script out of “…a desire to create roles for women where they are seen as the subject and not the object”.

Playmarket describes it as, “Brutal, funny and at heart, a love story…. an intensely honest portrayal of seven women’s lives within the hostile world of prison.”

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Mark you calendar - Hamilton Central is the place to be this October!

On a mission to create your dream home, renovate to sell, or ramp up the value of investment? Don’t miss the annual Waikato Home & Garden Show, where you’ll find everything you need to renovate, build, decorate and landscape your home under one roof.

As well as some great show-only deals, hundreds of exhibitors will be on hand to present exciting new products, stylish trends, innovative ideas and top quality service to help make your project a reality.

That’s not all – you’ll find something for the whole family including live cooking demos, seminars, demonstrations, food and drink, a kids zone and so much more!

10am - 5pm (4pm finish on last day of the show)

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STELLAR ALT-COUNTRY ARTIST LACHIE HAYES HEADS NORTH ON HIS SUBSATELLITE TOUR

“In Lachie Hayes, we find a storyteller who merges grit and grace, a musician grounded in place yet pushing the boundaries of genre…he not only defines a new sound but helps chart a new musical frontier for the deep south.” – 13th Floor

From the heart of southland, alt-country troubadour Lachie Hayes brings his soul-stirring sound to town to celebrate the release of his debut album SUBSATELLITE.

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Join Hamilton Operatic Society at Nivara Lounge to get your musical theatre fix and support local performers!

The 'Downtown Musicals' nights aim to provide a platform for up-and-coming theatre performers to get experience performing in front of audiences, as well as those wishing to try something new or who maybe haven't performed in some time.

Each night performers will pick their songs based on a theme. The theme for October is Cinematic Showstoppers.

Doors open at 7 pm with performances starting at 7.30 pm.

Note: These Nivara Lounge nights are now 18+ for performers and R16 for audience members accompanied by a parent or guardian. For performers under 18, please look out for our Downtown Musical Jr afternoon sessions.

For any queries or to use membership tickets, email Pip at admin@hamiltonoperatic.co.nz

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Held on the second Friday of every month (excluding December).

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Take a creative lunch break to explore art through poetry.

These free drop-in poetry sessions are the perfect way for beginners and poetry lovers alike to explore their creativity.

With a focus on ekphrasis (poetry written in response to art), this is a fun and creative experience that is about expression, not perfection.

Be inspired by our exhibitions and explore new ways to look at art and language.

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What to expect

Educator and poet Cassandra Barnett will introduce easy poetry techniques and prompts, help you see and connect with works of art, and encourage you to find your own creative voice.

Wander the galleries with pencil and paper, and support on hand, and poem what you see.

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Poetry prompts

If you can’t join the lunchtime session, drop in at any time on the day of Poetry in the Galleries and pick up a poetry prompt. Let the galleries guide your words and enjoy writing at your own pace.

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