Artistic Underground Festival F.O.L.A [AKL] Returns To Tāmaki Makaurau

TĀMAKI MAKAURAU AUCKLAND: The performance art festival from the artistic underground, F.O.L.A [AKL] (Festival of Live Art - Auckland) is returning for a four night midwinter festival from the 11th-14th June. Blink, and you’ll miss it!

Back in full force for the first time since 2023, F.O.L.A. [AKL] is a haven for the misfits, punks and menaces of the art world and is full of the kind of art that starts movements and shapes the future. It is your gateway drug to the wildest, most exciting Queer and BIPOC artists in Aotearoa and beyond. In 2025, the festival takes over Auckland’s Basement Theatre for four full days and nights with performances, exhibitions, rituals and dance floors by fearless artists who make you feel like your heart is on the line.

“Neoliberal and capitalist structures have failed to create space for Live Art and artists in general. F.O.L.A. [AKL] is here to change that. So apart from innovative content, the festival is by artists, for artists, led through care and responsiveness, upholding Aotearoa’s most forward-thinking Queer and BIPOC makers.” - Nisha Madhan & Julia Croft, Co-Artistic Directors.

The most exciting and wild picture of living in Aotearoa comes straight through the eyes of these artists and F.O.L.A. [AKL] presents this through an audacious program of 7 full length shows, including 5 brand new works, showcasing local and international artists and supported by a full free public program.

"This energetic and world-class art showcase lit up Central Auckland and the hearts of its people who came out to experience otherworldly spectacles and reveled in joyous collective escapism." - F.O.L.A. [AKL] 2023, Audience Member

Beginning with the exact moment of the MOONRISE, F.O.L.A. [AKL] opens with a collective ritual Ahikoa te Ahi co-designed with exuberant Taranaki artist and activist Grayson Goffe. This opening event melds fire and water to create a moment of communion through the ringing of bells, all under the light of the Full Moon.

During SUNTIME a free family-friendly audio experience, A Rain Walk, is guided by the recorded voices of children from across Australia and New Zealand for all ages, by UK live artists Andy Field and Beckie Darlington, and is best experienced in the rain.

Arts brats are F.O.L.A. [AKL] residents and ambassadors. For 2025, they include Emma McManu, (international), Manu Veau (visual art), Raven Purcell (dance), Jon Jon ‘Kaisindra’ Tolovae (vogue), Kitty Wasasala (writer) and Janaye Henry (comedy). These creatives embody the heart of the festival and make the type of work that really gets your blood pumping. At Art Brats’ (Potluck) Art Brunch expect an informal chat from the art brats about art and life over a potluck brunch - bring a plate.

When it’s time for SUNSET the outdoor Festival Hearth (FOLA’S iconic Festival Garden), outside Basement, comes alive with Moon Prism Power Bottoms, a free digital projection and cheeky South Auckland Sailor Moon adventure of ancestral queer friendship and the power of alofa (love) from Falesā (Mush) Iosefo and Sione Monū of WHEKE FORTRESS.

Also located in the Festival Hearth from 5pm on Friday 13th and Saturday 14th is Liquid Light, an interactive performance that allows guests to use a variety of liquids and tools to create their own immersive psychedelic world from Sam Caldwell.

MOONTIME brings Pageant Moon, a world in which a process and movement unfolds Presley Ziogas transfixation on the idea of dying, taking place in Myers Park.

A free digital release of video art (online at folaakl.co.nz) from smut writer, critical theorist and K’ Rd icon Samuel Te Kani offer a guide for all on how to navigate ecological and social decay as a self-indulgent creative in Surviving the Necropolis.

Basement Theatre hosts Fetū x Fetu’u performance art that chronicles the multifaceted experiences of Moe Laga, (recipient of CNZ’s Pacific Aniva Residency) a Samoan Fa’afafine born in Aotearoa, who is grappling with the complexities of life in South Auckland.

BTM The Voice of Vessels expands on visual artist Sung Hwan Bobby Park’s visceral exploration of creation and sexuality. In this performance, Park sculpts clay through fisting, not only forming ceramic vessels but also excavating microphones.

Choreography duo SOFT.co, Jessie McCall and Rose Philpott present MDF (medium density fantasy). This work asks the audience to trust the duo, though there may be reason not to.

Queer PowerPoint provides an evening of corporate presentations and personal optimisation - but queer. Artists are asked to create a new 10-minute performance lecture about absolutely anything – the only rules are it has to be queer af, and they have to use Microsoft PowerPoint, starwipes fully encouraged - the cult hit from Australian artists Harriet Gilles, Xanthe Dobbie, and Thom Smythe with an accompanying callout from local artists to shuck their niche brainwaves.

Tasmania-based artist Loren Kronemyer’s works span objects, interactive and live performance, exploring ecological futures and survival-based skills. In Materiel World she will attempt to reverse-mine community e-waste for copper, reconstituting it into a bullet destined to be shot back into the ground.

Glory Whole is a surreal, transgressive collaboration between sewer-pop trio Grecco Romank (Best Alternative Artist Nominee, 2024) and the beautifully alien artist Copper MaeSteal, unravelling society’s obsessions from over consumption to the body-horror of plastic surgery, through dream-logic scenes.

The end of the festival closes with Hulla Gulla, Chaos Party. Famous for bringing a 3 hour nonstop dance floor at Basement Theatre and encouraging the elopement of young lovers. Guest curators TBA.

F.O.L.A. [AKL] is about building a community of artists and safeguarding their artform, livelihoods and legacies by creating new models within which they can flourish and a transparent excuse to throw a big, goddamn beautiful party.

Nisha Madhan & Julia Croft continue “We have heard clearly from our community over the past two years that what is needed are alternative models that centre care for artists. So apart from innovative content, the festival is led through care, responsibility and responsiveness to uphold Aotearoa’s most forward thinking artists.” 

This is art. But not as you know it.

© Scoop Media