New Zealand Fringe Festival Closes It’s 35th Year Strong!

The 35th New Zealand Fringe Festival came to an end on Saturday 8 March in fantastic fashion. Revered musician Deva Mahal gave a moving performance at Hannah Playhouse, closing the festival with powerful songwriting and soaring vocal talent. This was a fitting end to another year of creativity, innovation, and the rise of emerging talent from Pōneke, across the motu, and beyond. For the past three weeks, the city has come alive with events spanning theatre, dance, cabaret, circus, comedy, music and more. With over 23,000 tickets sold across 170 events and over 40 performance spaces, the 35th year of NZ Fringe was buzzing with a huge array of talent that attracted both new and veteran audiences.

This year brought in a whole new variety of events providing audiences with fresh takes on what a Fringe Festival can involve. Robin Wealleans brought his robotic, AI-driven cat L3NT!L, over from the U.K. for CatGPT and CatGPT – Unhinged, Sela Faletolu-Fasi presented Love; Mum, a play created from a goodbye letter she wrote to her 6 children, and Lia Kelly let viewers watch her through the night as she fills the sleepless hours of the morning in real-time with The Night is Always Darkest, an online experience where you influence her decisions. Other artists joined the festival from overseas, such as Selena Mersey (U.K.) with her shows Madonna/Whore and Bisexuelle, Gendermess Productions (Australia) with their flamboyant cabaret, MESSY FRIENDS, Jill Young and Calliope Weisman (U.S.A.) with THE KIDS MIGHT DIE (a tale told by an idiot), Huen Sze Man Suzanne (Hong Kong) with Dance with Dementia, and more.

New Zealand Fringe Festival Director Vanessa Stacey says, “The 35th year of the NZ Fringe Festival has been inspiring and a record-breaking year of ticket sales with over 23,000 tickets sold. There’s been such an exceptional range of emerging talent coming from Pōneke and beyond, and they have created some excellent and innovative productions—with plenty more in the bag I’m sure! Our sponsors, venues, and technical teams have been integral in making the festival happen this year and massively supportive to both the NZ Fringe team and artists—we can’t thank them enough! The amazing audiences that come to support the arts and share in the Fringe joy with us prove that the NZ Fringe Festival is a special part of our city. Here’s to another 35 years!”

The 2025 festival also introduced the Cuba Street Summer Series, with Fringe on the Street, and PARK(ing) Day falling under the NZ Fringe umbrella. Fringe on the Street, the first installation on Sunday 23 February, was a Fringe-themed extravaganza with pop-up and roaming performances throughout Cuba Street between Ghuznee and Vivian. The following week on Saturday 1 March, PARK(ing) Day hosted by Wellington Sculpture Trust, saw the area populated with art installations, and performance spaces by artists of any and every medium. This transformation of car parks and roads is a global phenomenon aimed at reimagining urban spaces. These events were both made possible by the generous support of Wellington City Council.

On Sunday 9 March the NZ Fringe annual awards ceremony was held at Te Auaha, one of the festival’s venues. After careful deliberation by an external panel of judges, award winners were announced in celebration of the art and talent that was widespread at the 2025 festival. Nineteen artists and shows were praised for their achievements in a variety of categories. Thanks to the generous support of sponsors and funders, NZ Fringe was able to offer artists recognition for their hard work, ending the festival on a high. The artists were treated to a night of performances, awards, and kai in celebration of their achievements this Fringe season!

The awards for this year’s festival span from ‘Best in Fringe’, sponsored by Her Worship the Mayor Tory Whanau, to the turbulently-wonderful ‘Spectacular Organised Chaos’ sponsored by BATS Theatre, and to ‘Momentous Music Award’, sponsored by Orchestra Wellington.

While presenting the Best in Fringe award at the ceremony on Sunday, Her Worship Tory Whanau said, “It’s a real honour to be here tonight. I feel like the last few weeks have been peak Wellington — at its best — and it’s thanks to you guys in this room! Between this, Newtown Festival, and of course, the Pride Festival last night, I’m feeling really good about our city!”

The Tour Ready awards in collaboration with other Fringe festivals support artists with the prodigious opportunity to take their craft on tour both nationally and internationally. This Wasn’t The Plan: A Musical Theatre and Cabaret, EPIC WAY! I’m Gay?, For You to Know and Me to Find Out, How to Art, and Baby Gorgeous Build Ups earned Tour Ready Awards, taking Marshall Lorenzo (Baby Gorgeous Build Ups) as far abroad as California, U.S.A.

The full list of awards and their 2025 recipients are listed below:

Best in Fringe sponsored by Her Worship the Mayor: For You to Know and Me to Find Out
Auckland Fringe Tour Ready Award sponsored by Auckland Fringe Festival: This Wasn't the Plan: A Musical Theatre Cabaret
Dunedin Fringe Tour Ready Award sponsored by Dunedin Fringe Festival: EPIC WAY! I'm Gay? Oui oui faguette™ I LOVE KIM HILL (1999 version)
Melbourne Fringe Tour Ready Award sponsored by Melbourne Fringe Festival and NZ Fringe: How to Art
The SYNZ Tour Ready Award sponsored by Sydney Fringe Festival and NZ Fringe: For You to Know and Me to Find Out
Adelaide Fringe Tour Ready Award sponsored by Adelaide Fringe and NZ Fringe: For You to Know and Me to Find Out
The International San Diego Fringe Exchange sponsored by San Diego Fringe and NZ Fringe: Baby Gorgeous Build Ups
The Parkin Development Award sponsored by Chris and Kathy Parkin: Below The Worms
Most Innovative Work sponsored by Wellington International Airport: ROADKILL: The Uber-Cool Musical
People's Choice Picnic Table Design sponsored by Resene: Aimée Sullivan
The Grand Design Award sponsored by Inject Design: Entry: Encounter
Outstanding Solo Performance sponsored by TAHI NZ Festival of Solo Performance: This Wasn't the Plan: A Musical Theatre Cabaret
Most Promising Emerging Company sponsored by Te Auaha: Below The Worms / DOORMAT — S.L.U.G (Society for Little Ugly Girls) Theatre Company
Most Promising Emerging Artist sponsored by Creative Capital Arts Trust: Zachary Klein — Death, Ray. / HAUSDOWN
Memorable Marketing sponsored by Phantom Billstickers: D' Things N Such
Most Promising Pasifika Artist sponsored by Creative New Zealand with the support of CNZ Pacific Arts Strategy: Luchiano Edwards Tuioti — A Master of None: Brown Fala
Spectacular Organised Chaos sponsored by BATS Theatre: House of Ick
Momentous Movement sponsored by NZME: Temporal Aria
Momentous Music Award sponsored by Orchestra Wellington: A Master of None: Brown Fala

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