Mid-Autumn Festival engages diverse communities in Auckland

Music filled the park, performers in vibrant hanfu moved through the streets, lanterns lit the night sky, and queues formed at food stalls along Auckland’s Dominion Road from Sept 25 to 27 as the city celebrated the 2026 Moon Festival.

As part of the global observances of the Mid-Autumn Festival, a traditional occasion for family reunions in China, the three-day event drew more than 40,000 Aucklanders from diverse communities and involved hundreds of local businesses, according to the host, the China Cultural Centre in Auckland.

Themed “A Moonment to Remember”, the festival spread across 14,000 square meters and brought together nearly 300 volunteers, more than 800 performers, over 170 exhibitors, and more than 200 street businesses.

The official celebration ceremony and Mid-Autumn poetry gathering took place on Sept 26. Despite light rain, the atmosphere remained warm and festive. Dragon and lion dances opened the program, followed by Māori Kapa Haka and traditional Chinese performances that captured Auckland’s multicultural character. The opening ceremony also featured poetry readings, face-changing performances, and a joint China-New Zealand song medley.

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, Chinese Ambassador to New Zealand Wang Xiaolong, Opposition Leader Chris Hipkins, Green Party Co-leader Marama Davidson, Auckland Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson, and other dignitaries attended and delivered speeches.

Luxon conveyed festival greetings and highlighted the Chinese community’s 150-year contribution to New Zealand. Wang expressed appreciation for the long-standing support for the Chinese community in New Zealand from New Zealand governments and local communities, and voiced hope for continued friendship and the flourishing of multicultural life.

A major cultural highlight was the Auckland stop of Embracing Diversity: China National Academy of Painting International Art Dialogue Exhibition, a group show featuring landscape, figure, flower-and-bird, and calligraphy works.

The China Cultural Centre in Auckland also organized a poetry competition themed “A Letter to China”. Participants wrote about their travels, friendships, memories, and emotions connected to China, with outstanding entries displayed at the festival and winners receiving awards at the closing ceremony.

On the same day, the Centre partnered with local tour operator Worldwide Holidays to host a “Hello! China” culture and tourism promotion, introducing Chinese tourism resources with a focus on offerings from Hubei province and the “Hello! China” app.

That evening, the main stage at Potters Park presented “Our Songs”, a Mid-Autumn concert featuring emerging New Zealand singers performing classic songs in both Chinese and English. Throughout the festival, six free Chinese film screenings were held at The Capitol Cinema.

On the evening of Sept 27, the closing ceremony went ahead despite strong winds and muddy ground. Groups including the Starlight Art Troupe of the Chinese Women’s Association New Zealand, the Russian Volga Dance Group, and the Joyee Hanfu Chinese Dance Group presented engaging performances, while local singers drew warm applause. Lucky draws and the collective release of sky lanterns brought the evening to a memorable close.

“From Chinese paintings and films to heartfelt letters to China and performances by artists of many backgrounds, we are proud to showcase the richness of Chinese culture to New Zealand audiences and to build the Moon Festival into a vibrant platform for cultural exchange in the open, multicultural city of Auckland,” Wang Jianwen, director of the China Cultural Centre in Auckland, said.