WellingtonEvents
Two Royal New Zealand Ballet dancers illuminated by warm amber light, performing in a spacious, minimalist setting.

Prepare for a year of stunning ballet — from traditional favourites to original pieces unique to Aotearoa.

The Royal New Zealand Ballet (RNZB) pushes boundaries with its 2025 programme. Diverse and captivating works reflect the vision and influence of artistic director Ty King-Wall. 

A ballet dancer in a blue leotard leaps into the air.
A ballerina in a pink dress in a crouched pose with a backlit spotlight.
Ballet soloist Zacharie Dun with dancers Gretchen Steimle, Ros Xu and Cadence Barrack.
Ballet dancers, Luke Cooper and soloist Kirby Selchow pose together with a backlit spotlight.

Returning to RNZB’s home in the historic St James Theatre, March sees a visit from the Scottish Ballet. The children’s book tale of a persuasive pig comes to life in the family-friendly spectacle ‘Dazzlehands’ in April. As the weather cools, ‘The Firebird’ returns to the stage set to Stravinsky’s epic score. Aotearoa’s shared heritage is explored in ‘Home, Land and Sea’. Seeing out the year with a festive spirit is ever popular ‘The Nutcracker’. The Christmas classic is sure to delight audiences with a distinctive Kiwi twist. 

The RNZB is set to inspire, inform, and connect communities throughout 2025 with its incredible and magic.

See the RNZB at St James Theatre

Ballet dancer Ana Gallardo Lobaina performs in The Firebird on stage.

The Firebird

30 April – 3 May 2025St James Theatre

April sees the return of the incredibly popular ‘The Firebird’, choreographed by Loughlan Prior. Built on Stravinsky’s epic score, this powerful ballet unfolds in a desert world where water is infinitely precious. Immersive projections and stunning designs animate this fairy tale and bring it to life. 

‘The Firebird’ will be paired with the one-act ballet ‘My Brilliant Career’. It’s based on the novel by Miles Franklin, and familiar to many through the 1979 film starring Judy Davis and Sam Neill. UK choreographer Cathy Marston created the ballet in 2023. Cathy is in demand throughout the ballet world for her imaginative and emotional storytelling.

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Ballet dancer, Joshua Guillemot-Rodgerson performing on stage with a blue-green spotlight.

Home, Land and Sea

24 – 26 July 2025St James Theatre

New Zealanders will relate to these three moving ballets as they explore locally shared heritage. This collaboration with The New Zealand Dance Company sees acclaimed choreographer and Arts Laureate Moss Te Ururangi Patterson explore the importance of people and place. In the title work, New Zealand’s cultural heritage is woven through with the historical echoes of Cook’s Endeavour voyages. The music brings together traditional Māori instruments with modern sounds. Created in a collaboration between respected composer Tane Upjohn-Beatson and iconic musician Shayne Carter of rock bands Straitjacket Fits and Dimmer.

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A collage of black and white programs for The Nutcracker performances by the New Zealand Ballet.

The Nutcracker

30 October – 8 November 2025St James Theatre

Everyone’s Christmas favourite returns to the stage. In 2025 RNZB artistic director Ty King-Wall brings a distinctly New Zealand touch to this original toy story loved around the world. Celebrating being ‘home for Christmas’ and the nostalgia of childhood holidays. Audiences will be transported from the beach in Act I to the iconic snowy Southern Alps in Act II. Designer Tracy Grant Lord brings her original and breathtaking creativity to the sets and costumes. Lighting designer Jon Buswell and POW Studios showcase some incredible visual effects. And tying it all together, the moving and magical music of Tchaikovsky.

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Two ballet dancers lay on a stair case in dark blue lighting.

Romeo and Juliet

27 – 28 June 2025St James Theatre

A minotaur bust behind fluted glass.

NZ Opera — The Monster in the Maze

12 – 13 September 2025St James Theatre

A lit candlestick behind fluted glass.

NZ Opera — La bohème

18 – 22 June 2025St James Theatre

Peppa Pig and friends on stage as part of the Fun Day Out Live show.

Peppa Pig’s Fun Day Out LIVE!

5 July 2025St James Theatre

A smiling couple wearing sequin costumes are dancing in a lively discothèque.

Mamma Mia!

14 – 31 August 2025St James Theatre

An actor performing in Dracula's: Sanctuary, an Australian cabaret show. They are centre-stage, singing and dramatically whipping their red cape.

Dracula’s: Sanctuary

10 – 12 July 2025St James Theatre

Silhouetted figures are in front of a starry night sky projected onto an exterior facade.

Matariki Ahi Kā

19 – 22 June 2025Wellington Waterfront

A crowded maze of walls covered in contemporary art pieces on display at the NZ Art Show.

NZ Art Show 2025

30 May – 1 June 2025TSB Arena and Shed 6

James May.

Explorers — The Age of Discovery with James May

15 August 2025The Opera House

A large group of twenty-plus dancers from The Royal Family Dance Crew stand in a triangular group, with a main dancer in the front holding their hands up, and everyone else to the side. They all wear white shirts and black pants.

The Royal Family Dance Crew — Honour The Crown

11 May 2025The Opera House