The Hamilton | Kirikiriroa Festival Of Weird Is Cranking Up The Quirky Charm In The Heart Of The City

Running from the 5th - 12th of March 2025 with daily shows in Garden Place, this celebration of unconventional creativity shines a spotlight on local talent. With a mix of street theatre, acrobatics, and music, the Festival of Weird fuses the bizarre with the extraordinary, offering a vibrant platform for artistic expression.

Launched in 2023, this marks the festival's second year. Event organisers Lauren Kerr-Bell and Sandra Jensen are thrilled to infuse public spaces with eccentric creativity. 

“Our motto is part fringe, part cringe! The Festival of Weird began as a discussion between The Riff Raff Public Art Trust and Free Lunch Street Theatre about what makes Hamilton such a captivating place to live. 

We believe it’s our DIY underground creative talent, and we aim to showcase it to a broader audience,” says Kerr-Bell.

The festival begins on Wacky Wednesday, featuring a live performance by local electronic music artist Alkoda in Garden Place. Throughout the weekdays, from noon onwards, Garden Place and Civic Square will come alive with street theatre performers, acrobats and musicians.
 
A vibrant weekend of complimentary outdoor events also awaits at Garden Place and Victoria on the River, adding to the excitement of the festival.

On Saturday 8 March, Hamilton Playbox Theatre will present their play “A Weird Fest”, while Raglan’s Team Squad and local favourites Amun Ra will deliver synth pop beats. The lively atmosphere will be enhanced by the Black Sheep Circus, a hoop troupe, and energetic flash mob ravers taking over Victoria Street.  

As night falls, renowned indie arthouse group Wendyhouse will grace Mesoverse alongside ambient noisemakers DeeJay Handbrake, Glass Shards, and garage grunge duo Empress.

Sunday will shift to a more relaxed tone, featuring a free puppet show by the Spanish group Naranjarte, the Ukulele band The Strumbles, and Flying Nun | Sneaky Feelings icon Matthew Bannister at Garden Place. 

The evening will culminate with Synaesthesia, a free concert at Victoria on the River starting at 6pm, headlined by the acclaimed band Paper Cranes, alongside Wildhorse and Baltic Synthesis. The festival will conclude on Wednesday March 12, with the cult Australian folk act Ukulele Death Squad performing at Last Place bar, marking their debut in New Zealand. 

The band is well-acquainted with the global touring and the festival scene, having performed at notable renowned events such as WOMAD (Australia, U.K), Woodford Folk Festival (AUS), Boomtown (U.K), and Dranouter (Belgium).

“We are thrilled to bring a line-up that is so diverse with genres and artistry for 2025” says Ms Kerr-Bell.

The Hamilton | Kirikiriroa Festival of Weird
5 – 12 March 2025
Garden Place and Victoria on the River
From 12pm onwards daily
hamiltonfestivalofweird.nz

Many thanks to
Hamilton City Council, WEL Energy Trust, Hamilton City Creative Communities Scheme (Creative NZ), Love The Centre, Free FM.

© Scoop Media