A community-led exhibition celebrating the South Asian saree

Origins invites ten Nelson locals to trace where the story began, wherever that beginning happens to be.

Honest, fierce and deeply moving, Kiri Allan’s memoir asks what it costs to keep going when you can’t live in half measures, and what it takes to rebuild your life after a series of poor choices. Kiri will kōrero with Kerensa Johnston about finding her way back to Te Ao Marama.

Creative Cans explores JOY as an act of resistance!

Witi Ihimaera Smiler will kōrero with filmmaker Hamish Bennett about how he reclaimed his voice, history and whakapapa by studying te reo Māori. Today a youthful 82-year-old, Witi is more prolific than ever, with three books out in 2026.

Kick off the Nelson Arts Festival opening weekend with a boogie!

Sri Lankan author Shehan Karunatilaka discusses his life and literary adventures since winning the 2022 Booker Prize for his astonishing novel, The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida. Chaired by Ahmed Osman.

Twelve years in the making, Night, Ma is Elizabeth Knox’s intimate account of how she and her family contended with a series of calamities in rapid succession. With Kim Hill guiding the conversation, Elizabeth will dive deep on the process of bringing this daring, revealing and compassionate memoir into the world.

The world is one big musical instrument!

Charlotte Grimshaw and Josie Shapiro discuss their latest novels, The Black Monk and Good Things Come and Go, in which they explore complex family dynamics, the lingering effects of grief and trauma, the urge to create art, and the dark shadow cast by addiction and secrets. Chaired by Kiran Dass.

Kiri Allan’s Go Hard or Go Home and Charlotte Glennie’s Every Second Counts are both honest and hard-hitting memoirs that begin with accidents that dramatically changed the course of their lives. This is a rare opportunity to hear from two women who have lived life at full speed. Chaired by Naomi Arnold.

A rich opportunity to see Māori artists on top form – Henrietta Bollinger

It’s a feverish Saturday Night singalong in Whakatū!

Aotearoa New Zealand’s top international short film festival

Hear from 2026 Ockham New Zealand General Non-Fiction Book Award winner Tina Makereti and 2023 Adam Prize winner Joseph Trinidad as they unveil the lives of their ancestors in order to understand themselves. Chaired by Sylvan Thomson.

Tīhema Baker and Lawrence Patchett discuss their latest books, One Day a Taniwha and Have This Heart, and reflect on aspects of fatherhood and masculinity that aren’t often talked about, let alone explored in literature. This deep dive into stories about men who strive for more will be chaired by Matty Anderson.

In this solutions-focused session chaired by Kim Hill, three visionaries in the field – Kiwis in Climate contributing author Barry Coates; Trisia Farrelly ONZM from Cawthron Institute; and Aneika Young from The Nature Conservancy – will explore how tackling climate change can improve our lives.

Writers Write: Actors Read, which features well-known local actors Doug Brooks and Donna Botha reading short stories by Aotearoa’s best writers, will be recorded live at this year’s Nelson Arts Festival. Series producer Bridget van der Zijpp will introduce the readings.

Led by carver and artist Kahu Paki Paki, this exhibition is an intimate portal of recreation and the journey for some of our most talented carvers, weavers and makers of Te Tauihu o Te Waka a Māui.

Join us to celebrate the nine interlinking tales that comprise All Her Lives, this year’s Jann Medlicott Acorn Fiction Prize winner at the 2026 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. Learn why Ingrid Horrocks, the author of several creative non-fiction books, turned to fiction – and the short story form, in particular – and why she believes reading about and imagining possibilities for hope is more radical than invoking dystopia. Chaired by Claire Williamson.

Joseph Trinidad‘s memoir-in-essays, Lucky Creatures, is a bold and playful collection about rebuilding life after his family emigrated from the Philippines. Standup comedian Pax Assadi, who grew up in a Pakistani/Iranian immigrant family, will be discussing his joyfully chaotic memoir, Mortified, which explores what we gain by embracing moments that make us cringe. Chaired by Ahmed Osman.

Emma Gilkison and Robin Robilliard discuss the two remarkable social history books they have written about two of the most beloved locations in Te Tauihu, the Top of the South Island: Tāhunanui Beach and Mōhua Golden Bay. Chaired by Kerry Sunderland.

In Plant Fiend, Peter Butler explores his relationship with plants, which have always been both a love and a refuge – and led to the establishment and success of both Forest Herbs Research and HealthPost. Chaired by Robbie Burton.

The mojitos will be flowing when Gareth Ward and Louise Ward convene at Kismet to discuss Murder and Mojitos, book three in the bestselling Bookshop Detectives series. In this high-stakes final instalment, Art Deco glamour, a Cuban crime queen and a grammar-obsessed killer collide. Chaired by Doug Brooks.

Te Ara o Hine Rēhia is a visual foray into the world of kapa haka, told through the lens of photographer Melissa Banks and her husband Jeremy Banks. Each chapter in the book covers one of the seven different disciplines that make up a kapa haka bracket, evoking the emotions and feelings association with that item. Chaired by David de Thierry.

RSVP essential. Bookings open Monday 24 August 2026.

Four musicians from different cultural traditions meet on stage.

One of Aotearoa’s most exciting new comedic voices.

Discover the rich history of Fairfield House.

“If Lloyd Webber can do CATS, we can do CHOOKS!”

A live radio play. With pictures!

Politicians, policies, and everyone in between; he’s here to skewer them all.

A radical, joyful reimagining of clown training for every body!

In The Clean: in the dreamlife you need a rubber soul, Richard Langston records the definitive story of the band that pioneered a low-fi, do-it-yourself approach to rock music and helped establish independent music label, Flying Nun Records. He will be quizzed by one of the band’s biggest fans, music reviewer Grant Smithies, followed by a celebration of their iconic sound.

If Indie Trap with a touch of Sci-fi and Theatrical RnB all birthed a fairy – it would be Byllie-jean.

The Phoenix Foundation Have Always Done It Their Own Way – Rolling Stone