Overview
Your holiday may be over but there's still plenty to look forward to, with festivals, cliff-diving and more taking place around Auckland in early 2024. First up is the International Buskers Festival, which will see a talented lineup of street performers from around the world descend on Tāmaki Makaurau on Auckland Anniversary Weekend.
From Friday, January 26–Monday, January 29, buskers will be popping up in downtown Auckland's Te Komititanga Square, Viaduct Harbour and Karanga Plaza, with audiences treated to circus tricks, a touch of magic, fire breathing and beyond across the long weekend.
The lineup for the 24th iteration of the eclectic festival includes the likes of Floor Legendz, a comedic dance group hailing from across Morocco, Portugal, France and right here in New Zealand.
Austrian magician El Diabolero will also be performing, treating audiences to mind-boggling magic and world-class diabolo skills that he's mastered through his 20 years as a street performer.
Other European performers include Yldor of Catalonia who creates magic using his humble bicycle, as well as German duo Compania JoCa who will be performing their show 'Just a Cup of Tea' which involves everything from dance, handstands and a cyr wheel (a giant hula hoop type object performers balance inside).
Hirsohi Usuda and Masako Wada will be jetting across to Auckland from Japan to perform Heromacro, the story of an acrobatic ninja (named HERO) and a geisha (MAKO) who perform spectacular stunts with a sprinkle of Japanese comedy. Rounding out the lineup is Australian Sammy Showtime who is part comedian, part magician, with his main stunt involving card-throwing and a unique sense of humour.
Finally we have Paul Klaass, an award-winning street performer who also happens to be from little old New Zealand. Klaass will dazzle audiences with his incredible juggling and circus skills.
The International Buskers Festival begins at 12pm each day, with performances running from 12–7pm on Friday, January 26, 12–8pm on Saturday, January 27–Sunday, January 28, and 12-6pm on the final day, Monday, January 29. Head to the festival's website for more information.