What’s on in Auckland this Halloween weekend: Freak Out!, Spooks & Sparks and more

On from 10am to 2pm today in the grounds of Highwic, the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga property in the heart of Newmarket, is the annual Highwic Plant Fair. The orchard garden will be in full bloom, and stallholders will be on site selling perennials, shrubs, climbers, grasses, heritage roses, natives, cut flowers, as well as vintage garden tools, flowerpots and more. Botanical artist Erin Forysth will also be on site. The Compost Collective will show you how to make great compost, and Wonky Box is once again offering up fabulous wonky produce for the Wonky Vege Creature Competition. The Highwic house and retail shop will also be open to visit, including a an opportunity to view displays of vintage embroidery featuring plants, and vintage gardening tools from a private collection.

The Auckland Diwali Festival returns to central Auckland this weekend, with two days of festivities that include music, dance, art and workshops, alongside mouth-watering vegetarian kai to feast upon. One of the largest celebrations of its type in the Southern Hemisphere, the event joyfully honours Diwali, also known as Deepavali, and its message of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance. The main festival will take place across Aotea Square, Queen St, Rutland St and surrounding venues, running from midday to 9pm on Saturday and midday to 9.10pm on Sunday. The CRL is a great way to get there, with Te Waihorotiu Station next to Aotea Square delivering you into the heart of the celebrations. Other Diwali experiences are taking place at venues and public spaces across central Auckland, including Central City Library, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki and Auckland War Memorial Museum.

Opening this Tuesday at Basement Theatre is I Know You, Fish (or Te Conozco Bacalao), a goofy, tender exploration of self-deception, laced with unrelenting humour and brutal dishonesty. Blending poetic text with experimental movement, the solo work by writer and performer Genoveva Reverte creates a glitching, pulsing kaleidoscope of addiction and remembering – all through the eyes of a fish. One wonders: when her memories start to change shape, how far will this fish go to forget? Ticket prices are Choose What You Pay and start at $8.

Opening this Tuesday evening at Tapac for a limited season is a brilliant local production of Harold Pinter’s The Lover and The Collection, two one-act plays by the extraordinary English playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. The legendary Paul Gittins directs Sarah Sommerville and Michael Lawrence in Pinter’s famous play The Lover, before Lawrence then steps in to direct Richard Thompson, Rachelle Duncan, Edward Newborn and Matt Sunderland in The Collection, Pinter’s one-act piece full of doubt, deception and scepticism. The production is the work of local boutique theatre company Potent Pause, famed for bringing European classics and alternative plays to the stage.

West Auckland’s Halloween celebrations are getting bigger this year, with Scribe taking to the stage to headline tonight’s Spooks & Sparks at The Trusts Arena. One of Aotearoa’s most recognisable voices, the musician is one of multiple performers helping get the crowd into the spooky spirit, with carnival rides, roaming entertainers, food trucks, a spectacular fireworks finale and more on offer. All are encouraged to embrace the Halloween spirit and come dressed in their favourite costumes, with roaming Halloween characters and family-friendly activities adding to the atmosphere throughout the evening.

Those looking for a more adult Halloween affair, sans trick-or-treating, HI-SO Rooftop Bar has Black, White & Wicked: A Halloween evening rolling out ‘til late at the popular downtown destination. A Hendrick’s “Another” welcome drink will greet you upon arrival, then for every drink purchase, guests can embark on a Choose Your Path cocktail adventure within a curtained booth. There will be live entertainment to get everyone in the Halloween mood, with MC and drag hostess with the mostest Ruby keeping the vibes high and DJs Aribella and Russell Hodgson spinning spooky tunes ‘til 2am. Come dressed in black, white or somewhere deliciously in between. Tickets $22.20 via Eventbrite.

What happens when a landscape artwork becomes a canvas for Aucklanders’ imagination? The public is being invited to add people, wildlife, drawings, messages and memories to a large-scale work by artist Linda McFetridge this weekend at Westfield Newmarket, a free “Art out of the Park” activation that aims to take contemporary art out of the gallery and into the community. For McFetridge, the activation reflects her belief that creativity is for everyone. She didn’t pick up a paintbrush until she was 34, and believes creativity doesn’t belong to a particular type of person – it’s something we all have. Once complete, one of the pieces of artwork will be moved to Art in the Park at Eden Park, with chances to win tickets to the event unfolding all weekend.

This Thursday, you are invited to join critically acclaimed, award-winning comedians Lily Catastrophe and Keegan Thomas as they take you for the wildest hour-long ride of your life in the debut season of their maximalist alt-comedy cabaret, Full Puss. The pair have performed multiple sold-out shows across the New Zealand Fringe and Comedy Festival circuits, and now join forces in Full Puss, slamming together dumb and sexy, glitter and grime, with just a hint of Y2Kcore nostalgia. Running on Thursday and Saturday at the Basement Theatre, the show is filled to the brim with wild set pieces, unwavering energy and unbridled sex appeal for what they have dubbed an electrifying extravaganza.

Email canvasplanner@nzherald.co.nz with brief details of your upcoming event, including dates/times, location and website.