Events

A great line up of events on each month at Last Place!

Monthly Open Late sessions.

Instead of closing at 5pm, Te Whare Taonga will be open until 9pm so that you can enjoy the exhibitions after-hours.

With drinks and nibbles available to purchase from our bar, you can get in the groove with a DJ or live music. Each month we'll have a new floor talk or panel discussion to get ideas sparking as you check out the galleries.Come by and make a night of it with Open Late at the Museum!

Schedule

Wednesday 28th May: Dive into Ripples with Sasha from He Koniahi Story Circle.

Wednesday 25th June: A Matariki spectacular featuring a panel discussion on Toi Maaori.

Wednesday 30th July: Winter chill special.

Wednesday 27th August: The insider's guide to the National Contemporary Art Award.

Free entry.

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Mark your calendar—Hamilton Central is the place to be this August!

Every year in August, Hamilton Book Month celebrates New Zealand authors and their writing, with events covering different genres and age groups. Readers from the Waikato and beyond are invited to meet authors, listen to them discuss their work, and ask questions. With activities and events for all ages, all month, this is a local celebration you won't want to miss.

Visit their website for the full schedule of events.

Hamilton’s own Berkley Normal Middle School turns up the volume with Disney’s Camp Rock The Musical!

Mitchie, Shane and their friends square off against rival Camp Star in a winner-takes-all showdown bursting with guitar-driven anthems, energetic choreography and hits like “This Is Me,” “Can’t Back Down” and “We Rock.”

Packed with humour and heart, this 70-minute, family-friendly production proves that friendship beats fame and music shines brightest when shared. Enjoy high-energy performances and irresistibly catchy pop-rock numbers, brought to the stage by Berkley students. Book now and join the jam!

Disney’s Camp Rock The Musical is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are supplied by MTI.

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Opening: 5.30 - 7.30pm

Thursday 14th August 2025

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Exhibition Date: 14th August - 13th September 2025

In Reflex, Sarah Munro invites viewers into a quiet, instinctual space — where watercolor becomes not a tool of control, but a collaborator in uncertainty. These works arise from a process of immediate, unfiltered response: to memory, to mood, to the body’s own rhythm.

Watercolor, with its fluidity and resistance to overworking, mirrors Munro’s interest in what lies beneath conscious thought. Each brushstroke is a reflex — quick, unrehearsed, and honest. Color seeps, bleeds, and settles in ways that cannot be entirely predicted, revealing the tension between surrender and intention that defines her practice.

Rather than plan or perfect, Munro listens. She listens to the way water moves, how pigment pools or vanishes, how gesture meets gravity. The result is work that feels ephemeral yet grounded—at once fleeting and deeply rooted in presence.

Reflex is not a narrative. It is an impulse. A visual record of the moment before interpretation, before language. In this body of work, Munro explores what happens when we trust the immediacy of the hand, the weight of the brush, and the quiet logic of the unconscious.

Han Chao - Hanrad Gallery

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Artist Statement:

I am a studio-based painter in Hamilton, New Zealand and an academic specialising in creative practice research in painting and embodied cognition. I have exhibited in New York, Italy and France. Since 2018, I have taught art theory and supervised Honors and Masters-level creative practice research at Waikato Institute of Technology. My doctoral studies explored how painting activates embodied cognition and I am committed to developing this research in both my painting practice and teaching.

 Sarah Mitchell Munro

A celebration of Afrikaans with Bobby van Jaarsveld, Ruhan du Toit and Corlea Both with JD Mars.

This is three hours of great Afrikaans music by the best from South Africa. Kom kuier saam in jou taal by Afrikaans is Lekker. Moontlik gemaak deur die ondersteuning van Afriforum Wereldwyd.

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The Black Flames are ready to burn the house down.

It’s been 30 years since Aaron Gascoigne stormed Hamilton stages fronting local rock legends ColdShock — a band that left its mark on the city with raw power, sweat, and sound. Now he’s back. And this time, he’s bringing fire, brass, and a full-blown musical machine.

The Black Flames are an 11-piece supergroup fusing rock, funk, and soul — the brainchild of Netherworld Dancing Toys founder Nick Sampson, alongside longtime collaborators Tim Robinson and Steve Shaw.

Up front:
Gascoigne — Waikato-born and battle-tested — a showman with the grit of rock and the heart of soul.

Beside him: Moana Richardson — a phenomenal young soul vocalist whose star is rising fast. Taking on the mantle once held by Annie Crummer, Moana brings undeniable power, grace, and soul well beyond her years. She’s the real deal — and she’s just getting started.

On guitar and vocals, Nick Sampson — the songwriter behind some of New Zealand’s biggest anthems (and yes, For Today is in the set).

In the engine room: Steve Shaw (The Loving Arms) on bass, Tim Robinson on drums, and Michael Larsen (ex-Jan Hellriegel band) on keys.

Overhead? A horn section that slaps — five of NZ’s finest from The Instigators, Wonderfish Collective, The Alibis and more — razor-sharp and loud as hell.

Their brand new single launches live on the night.

And it’s not just The Black Flames lighting up the room — opening the night are two of NZ’s most exciting young bands:
Pocket Watch — a gritty, high-energy crew with killer riffs and youthful swagger.
The Rain — indie rock with soul, heart, and hooks that stay with you long after the lights go out.

This isn’t just a gig — it’s a homecoming.
A new chapter.
And a chance to dance like it's 1994 again — but bigger, tighter, and groovier than ever.

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After humble beginnings in a garage, to a record-breaking rise to the top of the podcast charts, Aotearoa’s favourite trio — Jordan Vaha'akolo, Brook Ruscoe, and Marc Peard — are taking The Morning Shift to the people. This August and September, they’ll be bringing eight massive shows across Aotearoa and Australia in their first-ever LIVE tour.

Real people, real talk and now real life. Expect all the stuff you love from the podcast: deep kōrero, big laughs, a few tears, spontaneous/questionable singing, plus whatever Jordan decides to overshare that night. The live show brings the podcast to life, with that signature Morning Shift energy that turns commutes into therapy sessions and takes gym workouts to another level.

The Morning Shift is more than a podcast, it's a community. Having now ticked over two years of being #1 in your hearts (sometimes #1 in the charts), their podcast has become a staple for thousands of New Zealanders who tune in daily.Whether you’re a Day One Shifter or just joined the movement last week — this is your moment.

Rally the crew, book the babysitter, and get ready for a night that promises to shift you.Thanks to Nando’s, who’ve helped take this dream from the garage to the stage.Shift Nation, we on.

Saturday Night Fever defined the disco era and the high-energy second act delivers chartbuster after chartbuster from the Bee Gees, K.C. and the Sunshine Band, Yvonne Elliman, The Trammps, Graham Bonnet and others – Night Fever, Jive Talkin’, Disco Inferno, Stayin’ Alive, More Than A Woman, Emotion, Warm Ride, If I Can’t Have You, How Deep is Your Love, You Should be Dancing and so much more.

Saturday Night Fever was the biggest selling sound recording between 1977 and 1980 with highest daily sales of 200,000 USA copies, and topped the popularity surveys of Billboard, Cashbox and Record World.

Awarded the Album of the Year Grammy in 1979, the release stayed in the Top 200 for 29 consecutive months and made Barry Gibb the first solo songwriter in history to have three consecutive #1’s and four songs in the Top Ten simultaneously.

Saturday Night Fever has since been added to the American National Recording Registry in the Library of Congress as “culturally, historically and aesthetically significant”.  Stayin’ Alive continues to make history as it features the first drum loop ever recorded on a pop music track and the Brooklyn Shuffle moves are still in evidence on the dance floor.

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We invite you to join us for a night celebrating the music of Creedence Clearwater Revival and John Fogerty, as we present the music of one of the world’s most iconic bands – from the songs they wrote, to the songs covered, to the songs they wrote for others

All the hits that defined a generation, and have been passed on for many more – all in one night, live, on stage.

Creedence Clearwater Collective brings to the stage a band that captures the unique CCR sound.

You do not want to hear through the grapevine that you missed out on this howling good time.

Join us, a real-life travelling band.

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The Bruce Springsteen Experience is an international-level show dedicated to honouring the timeless music of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. Featuring a full nine-piece lineup, this captivating performance delivers an electrifying blend of visual and audio excitement. Audiences are consistently wowed, with standing ovations being the norm.

As 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the iconic "Born to Run" album, The Bruce Springsteen Experience will perform the album in its entirety, along with a selection of The Boss's greatest hits. This special celebration promises to be a remarkable tribute, allowing fans to relive the magic of Springsteen’s music like never before. Don't miss this unforgettable experience!

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Celebrating 80 Years Running! Eight decades of community spirit, the iconic course, and shared memories!

Don’t miss your chance to be part of history — grab Super Saver entry from July 7 and join the celebration

‍Register Now

Every year thousands of runners and walkers descend upon Hamilton City Centre for one of NZ's oldest and most beloved annually contested events, Lugton's Round the Bridges!

Established in 1945 by the Hamilton Harrier Club (now known as Hamilton City Hawks), Lugton's Round the Bridges started out as a road race designed to showcase some of NZ's top athletes, with past participants having included Barry Magee, Peter Snell and Dick Quax. Given its popularity, the event grew from strength to strength, eventually becoming the fantastic community event you see today!

Nowadays the event welcomes people of all shapes and sizes, from primary school students right through to running legends. With finisher's medals for every participant, on-course musical entertainment and thousands of fun-loving runners and walkers, Lugton's Round The Bridges offers an awesome day out which the entire family can enjoy.

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