Reflections on The Performance Arcade 2026 By Mrittika Ghosh I arrive at the grassy patch behind Te Papa just in time for the opening ceremony, and already the festival is buzzing. There is perhaps no better venue for this year’s Performance Arcade core concepts—wāhi huihuinga, diaspora, and moana—than the Wellington Waterfront.  As children run on and off the stage during introductory speeches, founder and director Sam Trubridge remarks that some members of the team and arti

a toikupu - poem in response to the first hour of PA2026.

The Performance Arcade 2024 ran from 21 to 25 February on Wellington Waterfront, encompassing performance art, installations, live music,...

You can’t bottle lightning, but it seems Ill Riot just might.

While the Te Aro Pā Poets focus on spiral time, the SaVĀge K’lub introduce us to the Vā.

Celebrating the stories and magical creatures that inhabit Te Whanganui-a-Tara.

The works on view in the Arcade bring a contingency, a fleeting “Did I just see that?” or “What was that meant to be?” lightness.

Situations consist of a place and an action, what you make of it is up to you. 

I love the look on people's faces when they find something that they weren't expecting.

I’m really interested in the different ways people view or treat work—it’s never what you expect.

This is me in my studio, cradling a big, complex heart.

I see the festival representing the many communities within Te Whanganui-a-Tara.

We invite you to consider these questions with us.