Pōneke Festival of Contemporary Dance 2026

Curated by Footnote New Zealand Dance

The Pōneke Festival of Contemporary Dance is here to ensure a vibrant future for our city’s dance scene, fostering a passionate community around this captivating art form.

Contemporary dance is so varied, with so many different subgenres and styles, that we are sure there is a show for everyone.

We want you to jump aboard the waka with us. Come along to a show and bring a friend who hasn’t seen a dance show before. Check out the residency programme and follow the artists on their social media. Talk about what you have seen with your whānau.

Applications open soon for choreographers and dancers to submit a work for a residency or performance as part of the 2026 Festival. The 2026 Festival welcomes The Hannah Playhouse as a new festival partner, providing performance space free of charge to festival artists. The Hannah is home to wild independence from bold, professional makers, and an interconnected hub of creativity and exploration. Meanwhile, Footnote Dance Studios and the new Toi Pōneke on Market Lane will host residencies.

The festival is a joint initiative curated by Footnote New Zealand Dance and presented with The Hannah Playhouse and Toi Pōneke, supported by Wellington City Council.

We acknowledge and thank the team at Te Auaha for establishing the Pōneke Festival of Contemporary Dance alongside Footnote in 2024. Without them the festival would not be what it is today.

29 June - 5 July 2026

See Ticketing T&Cs.