The Best Virtual Events to Hit Up If Cabin Fever Is Starting to Set In
Get 'out of the house' with live opera, gallery tours and couch choirs.
If you're currently spending a bit more time at home than usual — because you're practising social-distancing or self-isolating — it doesn't mean you need to forego your usual arts and culture fix. Thanks to the internet, and many digitally savvy folk, a whole heap of your usual in-person events are now available online. Want to watch a live opera show? Can do. Head to a nightclub one night? That too. Learn to cook from one of the world's best chefs? Yep.
If you're starting to get cabin fever and are sick of scrolling through Netflix, hit up one of the virtual events below.
Image: Salon Gallery at NGV International, photo by NGV Photographic Services.
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Event
Toi Tu Toi Ora: Contemporary Maori Art Virtual Tour
Virtually walk through this major exhibition exploring contemporary Māori art.
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Event
Bombay Sapphire: The Creativity Lab
Wednesday, February 10 - Saturday, February 20, 2021
Online
Unleash your inner artist at one of these at-home gin experiences.
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Event
Rhythm and Vines Live Stream
Tuesday, December 29 - Thursday, December 31, 2020
Online
Watch the three-day music and camping festival from your living room.
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Event
Documentary Edge Festival Features On-Demand
Wednesday, August 12 - Sunday, August 30, 2020
Online
This collection of documentaries will be available on-demand until Auckland comes out of lockdown.
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Event
Documentary Edge Festival 2020
Friday, June 12 - Sunday, July 5, 2020
Online
This year's festival focuses on ongoing challenges, from crusading journalists to unstable politicians and UFO cults.
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Event
'James and the Giant Peach' with Taika and Friends
Friday, May 15 - Saturday, June 6, 2020
Online
Listen to the filmmaker read through the Roald Dahl classic — with help from Chris Hemsworth, Cate Blanchett, Benedict Cumberbatch, Meryl Streep and more.
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Event
Livestrung Venue Fundraiser
Sunday, May 24, 2020
Online
A two-hour live-streamed fundraiser for Aotearoa's beloved live music venues.
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Event
The 2000s Virtual Quiz
Saturday, May 16, 2020
Online
Test your knowledge on all that was great and horrible about the first decade of the millennium.
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Event
Keep Cooking and Carry On
Friday, May 1 - Sunday, June 7, 2020
Online
Culinary legend Jamie Oliver is helping you level up your cooking game — for free.
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Event
NZ Art Show Online
Friday, May 1 - Thursday, December 31, 2020
Online
The country's largest sale of affordable and original Kiwi art is heading online.
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Event
Chekhov's The Seagull
Friday, May 15, 2020, Friday, May 22, 2020 and Friday, May 29, 2020
Online
The Russian dramatist's first major play gets the online treatment.
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Event
Beer & Charcuterie Matching
Saturday, May 9 - Sunday, May 10, 2020
Online
Learn the ins-and-outs of cured meat and beer at these online tasting sessions.
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Event
BubbleFest
Saturday, May 16, 2020
Online
Six hours of beer-fuelled shenanigans and brewer talks.
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Event
Royal New Zealand Ballet: Romeo & Juliet
Friday, May 1 - Sunday, May 3, 2020
Online
The national company is offering free broadcasts of Shakespeare's classic love story.
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Event
Virtual Art Fair
Thursday, April 30 - Sunday, May 17, 2020
Online
Auckland's huge annual art showcase is moving online for 2020.
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Event
We Are One: A Global Film Festival
Friday, May 29 - Sunday, June 7, 2020
Online
Twenty of the world's best film fests are joining forces to curate a free ten-day online festival via YouTube.
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Event
Hot Dub at Home
Saturday, May 2, 2020, Saturday, May 16, 2020, Saturday, May 30, 2020 and Saturday, August 15, 2020
Online
Dance your way through the decades with this virtual biweekly party.
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Event
We Love the 90s Quiz Night
Saturday, April 25, 2020
Online
Put your 90s-loving brain to the test at this virtual trivia night.
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Event
Royal New Zealand Ballet: ANZAC Salute
Saturday, April 25, 2020
Online
The national company is broadcasting two moving pieces to commemorate ANZAC Day.
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Event
Yotam Ottolenghi: Keep Cooking Simple
Sunday, April 26, 2020
Online
Watch the game-changing chef talk about the joys of simple (and super-tasty) food at this Sydney Opera House live-stream.
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Event
Breaking Glass — Sydney Chamber Opera and Carriageworks
Saturday, April 25, 2020
Online
A free online world-premiere of a four-part opera inspired by mythology, Sylvia Plath and rare birds.
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Event
The Virtual 'Star Wars' Quiz Night
Monday, May 4, 2020
Online
Two and a half hours of unadulterated 'Star Wars' trivia.
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Event
Nonna Live
Wednesday, April 1, 2020 - Thursday, January 1, 1970
Online
Learn how to make your own homemade pasta from scratch in an online class led by an 84-year-old Italian nonna.
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Event
Nigella Lawson: A Celebration of Home Cooking
Sunday, April 19, 2020
Online
Watch the culinary legend talk about the joys of home cooking at this Sydney Opera House live-stream.
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Event
Retrosweat VHS Workout Club
Saturday, March 28 - Saturday, May 30, 2020
Online
Shannon Dooley's beloved 80s-themed workouts are making their way to your living room.
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Event
Better Living, Everyone 2020
Friday, April 17 - Saturday, April 18, 2020
Online
An online music festival from the team behind Ōtautahi's cassette label.
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Event
The New Zealand Dance Company – Virtual Classes
Monday, March 30 - Friday, May 8, 2020
Online
Learn the building blocks of dance.
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Event
Shakespeare's Globe On Screen
Monday, April 6 - Sunday, June 28, 2020
Online
Watch six of the Bard's plays performed at London's historic Globe Theatre.
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Event
Black Pineapple At Home Live
Friday, April 10, 2020
Online
Learn how to make refreshing cocktails from common household ingredients.
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Event
Fleabag for Charity
Friday, April 10 - Sunday, May 31, 2020
Online
Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s hit one-woman show heads online for charity.
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Event
From Our House to Yours
Wednesday, April 1 - Wednesday, June 17, 2020
Online
Watch highlights — and never-before-seen footage — from the Sydney Opera House's 47-year history from your couch.
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Event
Shut Up & Dance
Wednesday, April 8, 2020, Thursday, April 9, 2020 and Friday, April 10, 2020
Online
Wellington's best-known dance crew is taking its liberating movement classes online.
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Event
Iranian Women Short Film Night
Tuesday, April 7 - Thursday, April 9, 2020
Online
This virtual film festival will feature seven shorts by top Iranian filmmakers.
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Event
Isolation Trivia: 'Tiger King' Edition
Saturday, April 11, 2020
Online
You've binged the Netflix series — now put your knowledge to the test.
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Event
Live-Stream: Sea Life Melbourne
Saturday, April 4, 2020, Wednesday, April 8, 2020 and Friday, April 10, 2020
Online
The Melbourne aquarium is live streaming its sea creatures for all to see.
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Event
The Shows Must Go On
Sunday, April 5, 2020
Online
Watch Andrew Lloyd Webber's musicals for free on this new dedicated YouTube channel.
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Event
Goodnight with Dolly
Friday, April 3, 2020
Online
The much-loved country singer is swapping her bedazzled jackets for pyjamas and her guitar for bedtime stories.
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Event
Royal New Zealand Ballet: Hansel & Gretel
Friday, April 3 - Sunday, April 5, 2020
Online
The national company is offering free broadcasts of the classic fairytale.
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Event
Southward Distilling Co Gin Tasting
Friday, April 3 and Friday, April 10, 2020
Online
Level up your lockdown with gin tasting in your living room.
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Event
Silent Disco Glow-in-the-Dark Home Edition
Saturday, April 4, 2020
Online
This living room silent disco will feature jokes, positive affirmations and narration from Darth Vader.
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Event
'Friends' Virtual Quiz
Friday, April 24, 2020
Online
No one told you that watching endless television reruns could turn out this way.
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Event
Te Papa: Online Jigsaw Puzzles
Monday, March 30 - Sunday, May 31, 2020
Online
New Zealand's national museum has turned some of its collection into online jigsaw puzzles.
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Event
Paintvine Online
Monday, August 17 - Thursday, August 27, 2020
Online
The group painting classes are heading online and into your living room.
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Event
National Theatre at Home
Friday, April 10, 2020, Friday, April 17, 2020 and Friday, April 24, 2020
Online
The UK's National Theatre is streaming a selection of its hit productions, with a new show available each week.
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Event
Quar Eye: Cooking Lessons in Quarantine
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
Online
'Queer Eye' food expert Antoni Porowski is hosting leftovers-inspired cooking tutorials while in lockdown.
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Event
Courtney Barnett and Lucius & Friends
Monday, March 23, 2020
Online
Performing live from their lounge rooms, they'll be joined by Sheryl Crow, Sharon Van Etten, Fred Armisen and more.
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Event
NGV Channel
Thursday, March 19, 2020
Online
The Melbourne art gallery is launching virtual tours of all its current blockbuster exhibitions.
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Event
MSO Online
Monday, March 16 - Monday, April 13, 2020
Online
While Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is suspending all concerts with audiences for a month, it's now hosting an online concert series.
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Event
Nightly Met Opera Streams
Tuesday, March 17 - Sunday, May 10, 2020
Online
Stream a different opera from the famous NY institution every night.
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Event
Room 2 Radio
Friday, March 20, 2020
Online
Cut some serious shapes in your bedroom with this virtual dance party.
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Event
Massimo Bottura's Kitchen Quarantine
Monday, March 16, 2020
Online
Catch nightly online cooking tutorials from one of the world's top chefs — while he's in lockdown.
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Event
Virtual Cinematheque
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
Online
ACMI and Melbourne Cinémathèque are hosting a weekly online movie night.
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Event
Head On Photo Festival 2020
Friday, May 1 - Sunday, May 17, 2020
Online
The internationally acclaimed photography festival is going fully digital for the first time.
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Event
Couch Choir
Tuesday, March 17 - Thursday, March 19, 2020
Online
Pub Choir's communal singing events are affected by the mass-gatherings ban, so it's bringing the sing-along into your home.
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Event
Enchanted Worlds: Hokusai, Hiroshige and the Art of Edo Japan
Virtually walk through this major exhibition on Japan's Edo period at Auckland Art Gallery.