Walk, run, bike, dance through the streets of Avondale as we reclaim our main street for a day of free community play!
Joining the worldwide ‘Open Streets’ phenomena, from NYC to Tāmaki, Whau Arts Festival Avondale Open Streets will have a uniquely Whau flow packed with music, art, and fantastic kai.
OPEN STREETS 2023 | WHAU ARTS FESTIVAL
AVONDALE MAINSTREET
SATURDAY 15 APRIL | 3PM – 7PM
The Whau Arts Festival 2023 programme is FREE and includes something for all ages with music powerhouse MC King Kapisi, Basant Madhur Ensemble, the Waitakere Brass Band, rapper ¥oung Gho$t, the Maine Kweenz, Sau e Siva, Crescendo artists, flash mob and more.
Let your creative juices flow with a poetry pop-up station by Aiwa Pooamorn and Gemishka Chetty, there’s ‘tagging’ on our bouncy castle or perhaps take a ride on the Nomadic Tea Hut with Xin Cheng and Adam Ben-Dror offering hands-on play with locally foraged tea.
You can create a placard with Hoopla, what would you do if the streets were open? Come back to nature with Mana Rākau, visit the trees that line Avondale’s main street for a tree tour, tree care and you can also abseil on these taonga.
Put Your Earmuffs On featuring guest artist Ela Tukuhaukava with MĀPURA studios West Auckland art group. They have been creating in the ALL GOODS art space on a weekly basis for three years, and it’s time to share that working space on the street! First Safety Officer Tim Danko will be in attendance.
You can bike, walk and dance along Great North Road car free and soak up the local talent; get up close to artists Eva Fuemana and Siar267 completing a new mural, public artworks and exhibitions to explore using chatGPT (Sean Kerr) in collaboration with ‘Men at Work’. Visit the festival HQ a limited edition artwork by Alex Scott and purchase a Festival t-shirt.
Take a seat and eat at the longest dining table Great North Road has ever seen! Try food from our local takeaways… ice creams (and henna tattoo) from the Punters dairy, pork buns from Taste of Samoa as well as dumplings from Polynesian Food to name a few.
You won’t want to leave without a memento from our festival, have your family photo taken with Nia Vavao ‘spdrtwnbby’ at the fambam station and enjoy a pop up performance while you’re there.
Join us from 3pm and don’t miss out on anything!
FULL PROGRAMME | at a glance!
ARTY PARTY BIKE RIDE | 2 – 3PM
Bike Avondale and Whau the People invite you to join them on a musical art tour to the Whau Arts Festival in Avondale and celebrate the New Lynn to Avondale shared path!
Free coffee or warm drink from Huckleberry cafe at the start, and Bike Auckland Valet, t-shirt and food giveaway at the end of the ride.
Please advise if you’d like to borrow a Bike Avondale Community loan bike. Email bikeavondale@gmail.com with your bikey requests.
MAIN STAGE + ON STREET PERFORMANCES | 3 – 7PM
Bringing a smorgasbord of sounds and many reasons to dance in the middle of Great North Road!
MC King Kapisi | Waitakere Brass Band | Basant Madhur Ensemble | Sau e Siva West Auckland | Mal Lakatani | Nia Vavao | Maine Kweenz | ¥oung Gho$t | Cuban Groove | Crescendo featuring Rebecca Rice, Katie Lee and Capricore | Tahimana Siva Afi | KING KAPISI playing us out!
PARTICIPATE IN THIS | 3 – 6PM
These wonderful artists and community leaders will be on the street sharing their mahi with you. Loads to keep your hands busy and minds active!
Get here on bike and park up with Bike Auckland Valet | Karaoke in the Laundromat with Crescendo | Explore AR art with Creaturepost (keep an eye out for the QR codes) | Poi workshop with Poi YEAH! | Family photo taken with Nia Vavao ‘spdrtwnbby’ | Tag out the bouncy castle and have a bounce with Deahne Stone | Write a poem with Aiwa + Gemishka | Local making, take a ride with Xin + Adam | LOW RIDER showcase with ¥oung Gho$t | Live mural going up with Eva | Tree climbing and LOVE with Mana Rākau | Make a placard and make your voice heard with HOOPLA | Help us find the hands that made Crown Lynn with Te Toi Uku | Put Your Earmuffs On featuring guest artist Ela Tukuhaukava with MĀPURA studios West Auckland art group | All hands on in our tamariki zone with our Whau libraries and council staff | Make a noise with Bike Avondale | Tattoos for all ages with Tahimana Siva Afi | Henna with Ananta Patel at Punters Dairy | Braiding with Urban Kurl….and a few pop up surprises on the day!
LOOK FOR ART | 3 – 7PM
Traverse the street and experience the wonderful new, temporary and permanent art on site.
New sculpture Toutai-`a-Maui : Maui`s Catch with Unitec team Dr Yusef Patel, Sēmisi Fetokai Potauain Tavakefai’ana, Kyah Suckling, Peter McPherson and Dr Dermott McMeel | chatGPT with Sean Kerr and Men at Work | Discover the islands of Te Whau with Melissa Laing | FREE limited edition posters from Alex Scott | Body painting with Ngametua | Whau Holiday Art Programme with Jimmy Ma’ia’i and Joanna Kelly | All we need is Aroha with Ahutoa and Dom | Blah, blah, blah… with Fiona Jack | Installation work created at Inhabit Avondale with Holli McEntegart | Aute sourced from our very own Avondale shops with Atarangi Anderson.
EAT + DINE + EAT | 3 – 7PM
Thank you to our wonderful businesses who are generously sharing their streets, footpaths, parking spaces and shops for this event. Lets show them our love and BUY LOCAL!
We are big supporters of Zero Waste…full respect for those that bring along their reusable cups/plates/cutlery to eat with (and then take them home to wash afterwards)! Oh and be kind to our bin station monitors!
AFTER PARTY NIGHT CAP | 7:30PM – LATE
After you’ve enjoyed the full feast that the Whau Arts Festival has to offer…join us for a night cap at ALL GOODS!
Unwind with us and take in the sounds of Avondale based DJ Nate Savil, M4URI M4STA, New Tone Records and Vercetti.
Boil up thanks to our friends who run the Avondale Shared Garden space.…yum!!!
Check out the drawing showcase adorning the walls, thanks to Abigail Aroha Jensen and Māpura Avondale Art Group, Robert Penney, Tina Malu, Kayla Parlane and Stephen Graham.
wtp x
Tautoko to our supporters and collaborators who are the backbone of our festival
Our main funders Whau Local Board and Auckland Transport. Avondale Business Association. Māori wardens for keeping us safe, Whau Youth Board and individuals giving of their time to our community. Goff and team at Production co., Arcade furniture, Pumphouse Print, Stanley Signs, Pacific Vision Aotearoa and more.
