September sees the official start of spring in New Zealand and with it, some warmer and drier weather! It’s a great month to start getting out and about again and thankfully, there are a number of awesome events taking place right across the country that you can attend.
We’ve selected 6 of the best events in September in New Zealand that you can consider no matter where you travels happen to take you in your GO Rentals car!
1. SNOW MACHINE 2022
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Snow Machine is four days of music, snow and après adventure! Ski The Remarkables & Coronet Peak by day, tabletop dancing en-piste to your favourite DJs at our two epic mountain après stages, before shredding down the mountain to continue the party at our main arena in Queenstown by night. Catch performances by all artists across four days and three enormous nights in all locations. Your ultimate ski trip and music festival in one!
The 2022 Snow Machine lineup is super-deep and includes The Avalanches, Fat Freddy’s Drop, Ball Park Music and Client Liaison.
Event: Snow Machine
When: 7-10 September 2022
Where: Queenstown
2. NEW ZEALAND BLUES, ROOTS AND GROOVE FESTIVAL
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The New Zealand Blues, Roots & Groove Festival will feature national, regional, and local artists both established and emerging and when possible an international component will be added, all from the genres of blues, roots, gospel, country, ska, rock and soul.
The Festival is a four-day event to be held during the first weekend of September each year, with the first event taking place from Thursday, 1 September to Sunday, 4 September 2022.
There we will be a café series based around selected bars/cafes in Palmerston North which will be FREE.
Event: New Zealand Blues, Roots & Groove Festival
When: 1-4 September 2022
Where: 312 Main Street, Palmerston North
3. BRET MCKENZIE SONGS WITHOUT JOKES TOUR
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Bret McKenzie—whom you know from such modern musical treasures as comedy duo Flight of the Conchords, the Muppets movie reboots and other ace family-friendly soundtracks, Lord of the Rings fan blogs, guest songs for The Simpsons, cycling around the streets of Wellington, and more— has a new solo record coming out filled with songs that ARE NOT COMEDY SONGS!
More on that later, because today not only signals new music is on the horizon, but we (we as in Aotearoa, New Zealand) are also being treated to a national bloody tour from Bret, his piano, his microphone and his 9-piece band.
It’s not a comedy tour, but you will smile, you might even laugh in places, that’s ok Bret’s a funny guy. The tour is in celebration of his new album ‘Songs Without Jokes’ out Fri 26 August. The clue is in the title really isn’t it?
Event: Bret McKenzie Songs Without Jokes Tour
When: 2 – 14 September 2022
Where: Nelson, Christchurch, Dunedin, Invercargill, Wellington, Whanganui, Hastings and Auckland
4. BEST FOODS COMEDY GALA 2022
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The Best Foods Comedy Gala has moved to September and is now at The Civic. This is one of Aotearoa’s biggest nights of comedy and is not to be missed in 2022.
New Zealand comedy’s biggest stars take to the stage at the glorious Civic Theatre for one night only. The event will host the freshest stand-up from a star-studded line-up to keep you laughing all night long – goodness knows we all deserve it.
Book now to grab the best seats in the house, and treat yourself to one massive night of comedy with Aotearoa’s best and brightest. Grab an Auckland car rental to get you and your group to and from the show!
Proceeds from this event will support the New Zealand Comedy Trust, which runs the (usually) annual NZ Intl.
Event: FBest Foods Comedy Gala
When: 9 September 2022
Where: Auckland
5. OKTOBERFEST
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Nope, you didn’t read that wrong. Oktoberfest is featured in our list of the best events in New Zealand in September due to a calendar anomaly that puts the first weekend in October on an overlap with the last day of September.
Oktoberfest is one of New Zealand’s biggest festivals so dust off your lederhosen and dirndl and get planning your trip to Wellington today.
Oktoberfest is coming back to the Wellington Waterfront, for a celebration of Bavarian culture with a few Kiwi twists. We have local craft beer, German-styled brews, German food and the country’s most entertaining Bavarian bands.
Event: Oktoberfest
When: 30 September – 1 October 2022
Where: Wellington Waterfront
6. MARTINBOROUGH MUSIC FESTIVAL
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Martinborough Music Festival brings top-quality chamber music concerts to Martinborough this spring from Friday 23 to Sunday 25 September, featuring some of New Zealand’s finest classical musicians.
To celebrate their fifth festival, Martinborough Music will have five concerts this year, instead of four, with a wonderful lineup of 12 artists on stage across the three days, and have commissioned Wellington composer Tabea Squire to write a piano quintet to mark the occasion.
Find out who is playing what and when on their website here.
Event: Martinborough Music Festival
When: 23-25 September 2022
Where: Martinborough Town Hall
SOME AWESOME SEPTEMBER EVENTS IN NEW ZEALAND
As you can see, there are some great events taking place in September in New Zealand. If you happen to be travelling around, try to get to a few yourself and enjoy the entertainment we have to offer.
