Verb Readers and Writers Festival 2024 in Wellington

Verb Festival is opening its pages in Wellington again. The longstanding literary festival is set to take over the capital for a series of talks, workshops and performances.

Bookworms, literary lovers, and wordsmiths flock to Wellington for a programme full to the brim. An outstanding lineup of local and international authors will take part in the four-day festival. Verb Festival director Melanie Hamilton says the events range from heartwarming to joyous and fun. “Audiences will experience the vitality of writers through exploring connections, histories, and relationships to each other.”

A person on stage with a microphone reads a book to a packed audience at the Verb Readers and Writers Festival in Wellington.

International guests include US/UK writer Patrick Ness, Chinese writer Danyan Chen, and Irish novelist and poet Elaine Feeney. From the local scene there’s a conversation between Patricia Grace and Ngāhuia te Awekōtuku. You can also hear Megan Dunn, Susie Ferguson, and Paddy Gower.

The festival within a festival, LitCrawl, is returning as well. Taking place on 9 November you are encouraged to pick a path through 22 events across one night. Each session is strictly kept to time so you can bounce between multiple shows in a night. Poetry, performance, and themed talks make for rich pickings.

A 12-piece jazz ensemble performs on stage at Rogue & Vagabond to a packed audience for the Wellington Jazz Festival.

All that jazz: Gigs you won’t want to miss at the Wellington Jazz Festival

So much music to hear, so little time to hear it. The Wellington Jazz Festival has packed over 150 gigs into five days this October. It’s a wild infusion of soul, groove, blues, and every imaginable subgenre of jazz. Whether you’re inclined to boogie or sit back and luxuriate in the sound, you’ll find something in the programme. Check out one of these gigs.