Annual events
From food festivals to music festivals and everything in between, there's always something happening in the Bay of Plenty! Whether you are planning a visit next week or next year, the list of events below will help you find what's happening during your stay in the Bay of Plenty.
Summer
BAY DREAMS
Trustpower Baypark, Mount Maunganui
Bay Dreams is New Zealand's biggest music festival, set outdoors in beautiful Mount Maunganui.
WAIHĪ BEACH SUMMER FAIR
Wilson Park, Waihī Beach
The annual Waihī Beach Summer Fair is home to over 200+ stalls, 12,000+ punters, gourmet food plus fun for the kids and entertainment for everybody.
KATIKATI AVOCADO FESTIVAL
Katikati
Katikati is the Avocado Capital of New Zealand and hosts the Katikati Avocado Festival each year. Great food & wine, lively entertainment, product displays, kitchen demonstrations and more.
MOUNT FESTIVAL OF MULTISPORT
Mount Maunganui
The Mount Festival of Multisport includes the Tauranga Half Marathon, AquaBike, Mount Run and Pilot Bay Swim.
ONE LOVE
Mount Maunganui
Some of Aotearoa’s best reggae, hip-hop, soul, and R&B artists will unite in Tauranga Moana for the highly-anticipated One Love Festival.
NEW YEAR'S EVE
Various locations
Fireworks, food trucks and more - join New Year's Eve celebrations across Tauranga.
LOCAL WILD FOOD FESTIVAL
Mahy Reserve, Ōhope
Whakatāne's Local Wild Food Festival includes tastings, demonstrations, live entertainment, food stalls and more! Celebrate the abundance of local food, sustainability and the environment.
Autumn
FLAVOURS OF PLENTY FESTIVAL
Various locations
The Flavours of Plenty Festival is a celebration of the Coastal Bay of Plenty’s world-class food scene. Expect all kinds of mouthwatering fun, from workshops and demonstrations, degustations and pop-ups, cultural events and more.
NATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL
Tauranga
The longest running Jazz Festival in the Southern Hemisphere showcasing New Zealand’s top jazz musicians.
THE WEST END WIGGLE
West End, Ōhope Beach
A traditional longboard festival at the popular West End in Ōhope.
Winter
MATARIKI EVENTS
Bay of Plenty
Each year, the winter stars of Matariki signal the arrival of the Māori New Year. To honour Matariki traditions, more than 40 annual and one-off events are held around the Bay of Plenty every winter to celebrate our cultural heritage and unique national identity including workshops, exhibitions, live performances and family events.
TRUST HORIZON. LIGHT UP WHAKATĀNE
Whakatāne
Light activations and digital displays, by local and regional artists, are installed throughout Whakatāne CBD and illuminated for ten nights, bringing light and joy to the darkness of winter.
Spring
ZESPRI AIMS GAMES
Various venues
The Zespri AIMS games give 11, 12 and 13 year olds an opportunity to compete as an individual or in a team against their age group in 23 different sports.
TAURANGA STEM FESTIVAL
Tauranga CBD
Tauranga STEM Festival (STEMFest) is a free, family-friendly science, technology, engineering and mathematics festival.
TAURANGA ARTS FESTIVAL
Tauranga
Tauranga Arts Festival is 10 days of music, theatre, comedy and visual arts. The next edition will be in 2023. Escape is delivered in alternate years to the festival and is a readers and writers weekend with thought-provoking talks.
VEGAN VIBES
Soper Reserve, Mount Maunganui
Vegan Vibes is a celebration of all things vegan. A great combination of street food, food products, clothing, health and more.
SUN TO SURF
Mahy Reserve, Ōhope Beach
Whether you’re looking to nail a personal best on our flat and fast 21.1km and 10km courses, or wanting to embrace the end of our amazing Kiwi summer with family and friends in the 5km or The Wilde Whippet kids’ 1km fun social distances, Sun to Surf ticks all the boxes.
BAY OF PLENTY GARDEN & ART FESTIVAL
Tauranga, Mount Maunganui, Te Puke, Katikati
The Garden & Arts Festival celebrates the beauty and diversity of our region’s gardens and the creativity of talented artists.