2010 NZI International Rugby Sevens

The NZI Rugby Sevens (7s) returns to Wellington's Westpac Stadium in 2010. It's time to start getting ready for the biggest fancy dress party on the planet. The dates have now been confirmed for the 2010 Wellington Rugby Sevens as 5-6 February 2010.

The NZI Sevens is now SOLD OUT. Tickets were snapped up within three minutes, setting a new speed record for sales.

Tickets sold out last year within five minutes of going on sale. For the last eight years tickets to this iconic Wellington event have sold out, with the popularity growing every year.

The 2010 Wellington Sevens will be even bigger and better than ever. It's a real festival of fun with heaps of events, concerts and activities happening during the tournament, and in the days leading up to it. Plus, 2010 is the 11th anniversary of the 7s in Wellington.

If there's a word to describe the Wellington Sevens, it's "awesome!" Our city's hugely popular two-day rugby tournament is one of New Zealand’s premier annual sporting events. But its more than that - its one massive dress-up party in the Capital without comparison anywhere in the world.

Wellington's Westpac Stadium holds 38,500 excited fans for two action packed days and nights of rugby, costumes and partying. So dust off those taxi uniforms, cowboy hats, superman costumes and nurse outfits, and get ready for some more great NZI Sevens action in 2010.

• Date: February 5th and 6th 2010.
• Venue: Westpac Stadium, Wellington.
• Tickets: on sale 9am Tuesday 29 September from Ticketmaster.
• Website: http://www.nzisevens.co.nz/
  

2010 Wellington Summer City Festival

The Summer City Festival is Wellington's summer in the city festival of outdoor fun and entertainment - and with a wide array of events and concerts over three months, there are heaps of reasons to get out and join in the action.

The Summer City programme starts on 31 December and runs to mid March. There is something to cater for everyone’s taste, and most of the events are free. See below for the full programme.

Dates: 31 Dec 2009 (Thu) - 28 Mar 2010 (Sun)
Venue: Various Locations in the Wellington Region
Cost: Most events are free

Click here for a full event listing.

ASB Gardens Magic Concert Series - Sun 11 Jan 2009 - Mon 1 Feb 2010

The annual ASB Gardens Magic Concert Series - part of the NZCT Summer City programme sees 22 consecutive nights of nearly every musical genre you can name. Up-and-comers and established stars bring the Botanic Garden to life.

There's no such thing as a typical ASB Gardens Magic audience - the crowds can differ greatly from night to night, showing how broad the appeal is. There will be a focus on original music as well as music representing the many cultures that contribute to Wellington's vibrancy and creativity.

As in previous years, the gardens around the Sound Shell will be transformed with striking multi-coloured lighting, designed by local lighting visionary Mike Farrand. The Gardens Magic lighting installation will be added to over the course of the concert series so visitors are encouraged to attend as many nights as they can and watch the lighting effects grow.

Dates: 10 Jan 2010 - 31 Jan 2010
Times: 8pm start each night - concerts finish around 9:30pm
Venue: Sound Shell - Wellington Botanical Gardens (view map)
Cost: FREE

Line Up:
10 January  The Beat Girls 80s, Pop covers
11 January  Brazealand Band Traditional, Brazilian rhythms
12 January  Mercury Crowe Rock, Blues
13 January  Triptych Trio and Aaron Jackson, Jazz
14 January  Adi Dick and the Children of Tane, South Pacific soul
15 January  Hikoikoi Reggae, Soul/Roots
16 January  Thomas Oliver Band Blues, Rock/Alternative country
17 January  Bella Kalolo and the Soul Symphony, Soul
18 January  Samuel Flynn Scott and the B.O.P, Rock/Country
19 January  Otis, Jazz
20 January  Supermodel Pop, Brit rock
21 January  Sacha Vee, Neo-soul
22 January  Jess Chambers, Folk/Acoustic/Country
23 January  Miles 'n Chet, Jazz
24 January  Doosra Fusion, Bollywood
25 January  Elena and Simply Fantastic, Ma-ori waiata/Classical/Latin American
26 January  California Dreamers, 60s pop/Rock
27 January  Hannah Howes, Roots
28 January  Rio Hunuki-Hemopo, Electroswamphop/Blues
29 January  The Aviators, Funk
30 January  The Afrobombastic Orchestra, Calypso/Afrobeat
31 January  Rodger Fox's Wellington Jazz Orchestra, Jazz big band

A League Football: Wellington Phoenix

Hyundai A-League football comes to Wellington.
Check the Phoenix schedule to find out when the next home game is.

Radio Active One Love 2010: Top Ranking

Kick back and enjoy the finest summer sounds of live dub, roots and reggae, in this much-loved yearly event. In 2010, One Love: Aroha Tahi celebrates 13 years of providing a uniquely-chilled day out in Wellington for Waitangi Day, which is also the birthday of reggae legend Bob Marley.

The event has averaged more than 15,000 people over the past few years, packing the picturesque Hataitai Velodrome on the south side of Mt Victoria, with commanding views towards Wellington’s south coast. Bring a hamper, a blanket and plenty of sunscreen and park up for the day.

Date: Saturday 6th February 2010
Time: 11:30am - 6pm
Venue: Hataitai Park Cycling Velodrome (view map)
Tickets: $10 (under 15s free), with a free Active Card included (buy at the gate)

2010 Montana World of WearableArt Awards Show

New Zealand’s Montana World of WearableArt™ Awards Show is an extravaganza that twists conventional perceptions of both art and fashion and weaves them into a performance that has been described as “Mardi Gras meets Haute Couture at a Peter Gabriele concert directed by Salvador Dali”. Artists and designers from New Zealand and around the world enter truly amazing garments that are presented in a unique two hour show of choreography, music, lighting and special effects. Over 160 incredible garments grace the stage across seven unique sections.

General ticket sales are on now.

Tickets and more information: WoW Website
Dates: 23 September - 3 October 2010
Venue: TSB Arena

A Day in Pompeii Exhibition at Te Papa

Uncover the story of Pompeii, a cosmopolitan city that disappeared nearly 2000 years ago under more than ten metres of volcanic ash, in A Day In Pompeii. Te Papa presents the blockbuster exhibition on now in the Visa Platinum Gallery, Level 4, until 25 April 2010.

Featuring over 250 objects, this remarkable exhibition gives visitors an unparallelled insight into the everyday life of a bustling Roman town – and of the catastrophic disaster that entombed Pompeii and its inhabitants for more than 1700 years.

Dates: 19 December 2009 – 25 April 2010
Venue: Te Papa - Museum of New Zealand
Cost: Adult, $15; child (age 5-15), $5; concession, $12.
Website: Te Papa - A Day in Pompeii

Yayoi Kusama: "Mirrored Years" at the Wellington City Gallery

City Gallery Wellington will celebrate the launch of its new Building Development with a solo exhibition of the extraordinary work of Japanese artist, Yayoi Kusama. Yayoi Kusama: Mirrored Years presents seminal works from the 1960s and 1970s alongside more recent work. Kusama is renowned for her lifelong interest in visual perception and sensory experiences, her fixation with repetitive patterns and forms, her iconic use of dots and her dizzying installations. Mixing Op Art, Pop Art and sculptural practice, her all-enveloping room-installations, mirrored to infinity, are hallucinatory, surrealistic, and utterly unlike anything else you will experience in the world of art.