Festival Review: CubaDupa @ Cuba Street Precinct, Wellington – 28/03/2026

It’s becoming a bit of a cliché, talking about how the Capital has been hammered over the last year – what, with the current government’s austerity tactics, the war with Iran starting to bite, and even the weather all conspiring to break our spirit. I’m happy to say that wasn’t the case this weekend. Because every person and their dog (or cat, or stroller, or musical instrument) was out on the streets to celebrate at Aotearoa’s biggest street party – possibly ever! Organisers were touting an attendance of an estimated 120,000 swarming into the Cuba Street precinct over Saturday and Sunday. And I believe it. By 12 midday on Saturday, at least, there was barely standing room down Cuba, Garrett or Leeds Streets where the main stages (Ngā Taniwha / Wellington Airport, Garage Project) were located. Even Te Aro Park, which is more open, was heaving as whānau enjoyed the positive vibes radiating from the Ngā Toi o Te Aro Stage under balmy autumn skies.

Speaking of it, Saturday morning started ominously, but by lunchtime the skies had miraculously turned blue with white fluffy clouds and they pretty much remained that way, except for the odd damp moment, until late on Sunday evening. That along with the obvious mega-cashflow injection gave a welcome boost to a city that’s still grappling with the cumulative impacts of multiple assaults on our local arts and hospitality sectors.

And boy, did we bounce back. It seemed like nearly everybody living, breathing or visiting Te Whanganui ā Tara was either on stage, backstage, managing a stage or watching the stages. I read somewhere that more than 1,500 performers were tipped to take part in this year’s programme. Music, theatre, food, crafts, robots, and even special‑effects makeup sessions spilled across the streets, laneways, rooftops, and eight churches within the festival footprint, transforming the central precinct into a multistage cultural corridor.

This is not CubaDupa’s first rodeo, having been launched back in 2015 by the Creative Capital Arts Trust as a modern revival of the city’s earlier Cuba Street carnivals. Its roots stretch back to the Upper Cuba Street Carnival of the 1980’s (which, and I’m showing my age here, I took part in playing in a school pipe band). And then it went large with the Cuba Street Carnival that ran from 1998 to 2009, famous for its parades, costumes, and late-night energy. CubaDupa stepped into that gap, reimagining the tradition for a new era. From its first edition in 2015, it grew rapidly – expanding its footprint, adding more stages, and incorporating everything from brass bands to experimental theatre to rooftop performances. I’m telling you all this to show the whakapapa of this event has great mana in the city and this is why outfits like Wellington Batucada, street performers and the many live acts are drawn back time and time again. This year’s Festival director, Bianca Bailey (who you may know as Wiri Donna) and her team have done an amazing job to wrangle the 2026 event into shape, with a programme that leaned heavily into emerging talent, cross genre collaboration, and a renewed emphasis on local identity. In a press statement Bailey said the intention was to “give Wellington back a sense of momentum” after several challenging years for the city’s creative industries.

I saw that for myself with plenty of local acts getting some well-deserved time in the spotlight. For me, that started on the Ngā Toi o Te Aro Stage with a kōrero between local legend Lisa Tomlins and another local and returning singer, Paige, who discussed building a career and the nuances of writing exclusively in Te Reo Māori.

I whizzed up to Hamodava Café, at the bottom of the Salvation Army headquarters, upper Cuba Street, to catch a couple of tunes from the brilliant Danica Bryant. Her music sits between pop and rock and isn’t afraid to get ugly, pulling apart celebrity culture, mental health, and the constant tension around gender and bodily control. I caught two tunes that lived up to that description – the acerbic Libra and the positive female-empowering Burlesque Witch. Armed with only a guitar, she was still as mesmerising as on her streams.

Dropping downtown to the Garage Project / Leeds Street Stage I caught some of the funky vibes radiating from Summer Henderwood’s set. She’s one of those up and comings I mentioned earlier. Backed by a three‑piece band, she delivered dreamy, sun‑washed bedroom pop that felt effortlessly cool. I read that she likes to employ “an intimate, diaristic feel” to her songwriting and I think that came over well with the many supporters that were crammed into the makeshift bar space to provide encouragement. She’s been relatively active on the music scene, clocking up stage time, including opening for Jon Toogood on the lower North Island section of his Last of the Lonely Gods tour. With those hazy melodies and a voice like Stevie Nicks, circa 70’s, filling up the autumn air I might have just become a bit of a fanboy myself. Her single, Drive, is definitely going on my next playlist.

Popping down to Ghuznee Street, I nipped in to chat with the good folk running Everybody Eats, which was operated by Te Aro Eats. Diners book online or simply turn up. It operates a pay‑as‑you‑feel, waste‑reducing model, working with community organisations to rescue surplus food, turn it into restaurant‑quality shared meals, and serve them in a dignified, inclusive setting. The three-course menu, created on the spot with the food at hand, looked amazing! And the aromas coming from the kitchen, wow!

Entertaining the diners was Nicole Fyfe, helped out by a three-piece. Her sound is often described as cosy, warm, and vulnerable, with an emphasis on melody and clear storytelling rather than heavy production. Perhaps you may have seen her at Poquito’s singer‑songwriter evenings. Her single The Lamb is a strong example of her style which combines folk textures with subtle, delicate pop. The song’s a personal tale of vulnerability and longing. You can hear more on her self‑titled debut EP which dropped back in 2024 – indie-folk, acoustic, pop, and country all show strongly in the mix.

In search of a coffee or a beer I headed back to the Leeds St. Stage and heard some of DJ/Selector Pearly’s soulful, nostalgia-inflected DnB tunes pumping out across the huge dining space under the recently completed mural of Mu from Fat Freddy’s Drop. Quick plug – If you like what Pearly plays, check her out when she opens for Shapeshifter during their 8-date Soulstice 20th Anniversary Tour May-June 2026.

One of the stalwarts of the Welly music/festival scene is Klezmer Rebs, a six‑piece Welly ensemble who have been performing together for many years, specialising in (mostly) klezmer – a lively folk tradition with roots in the Yiddish Jewish communities of Eastern Europe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They’ve been in action for over 23 years, showing up whenever there’s a party. Their sets move effortlessly from old‑world story songs and wedding dances to swinging reworks of classic Yiddish repertoire, inviting audiences to listen, feel, and dance. On Saturday, they once again drew on traditional tunes from Middle Europe and Ukraine (one dedicated to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy). They also did jazz tunes including a Yiddish number about immigrating to New York and a classic from Django Reinhardt, called Minor Swing. As firm festival favourites they filled up the space in the Hannahs Courtyard, a perfect location to dance, with their songs of immigration, longing for home and making a new life reverberating around the big concrete courtyard. Very appropriate, given this was once the place where Kiwi and immigrant workers came to clock-in at one of the country’s most iconic factories.

I saw two other emerging acts and was very impressed. The first was Belladona, on the Leeds Street Stage. This is the songwriting project of Bella Cook, who has an uncanny ability to turn small, everyday moments into big, vivid musical stories. I loved her dreamy, folk-pop. Backed by a tight three-piece band, including the legendary local Hikorangi Schaverien‑Kaa (French For Rabbits, Glass Vaults, and The Wellington City Shake‑’Em‑On‑Downers, etc).

Over the last few years, she’s been working with producer Chris Armour in studios across the Capital, to develop her own sound into a richer, broader offering. I heard that coming through during her spot. Her voice was a little shy, but her presence was well practised, coy and potentially omnipotent. There’s an album forthcoming which will concentrate on her more reflective, emotional side. If that pays off, as I think it will, then she’ll be one to watch, for sure. For more flavour, try Hands (2019) – her debut single, which went on to place in the APRA Silver Scrolls Top 20 in 2020 or her latest (I think) St David’s (2025) – a personal, memory‑driven song reflecting on childhood and faith or her EPs Total Eclipse of My Brain (2022) and Salty Dog (2020).

Also on the rise is Elly Mae, who I caught a glimpse of on the Vic Uni Glover Park Stage. Her music draws on themes of coming of age and the warm pull of memory, mixing elements of folk, dream‑pop and shoegaze. Currently, she hasn’t released anything I could find, but I hope she does. I particularly enjoyed the swinging alt-pop of On The Line which sounded pretty full and complete with drums and bass behind it. Maybe some keys would flesh it out. Can’t wait to see where her journey goes next.

“Come forward, people. And if you’re scared, you can always shrink to the back.” Vocalist/lead guitarist Feather Shaw, addressed the tentative crowd with the kind of soothing matriarchal tone usually employed by presenters on Play School. Her delivery was so comforting, in complete contrast to what she and her band mates Ash Tovisi (bass, vocals) and Julia Conaghan (drums) were hammering out. Ōtautahi punk trio Bin Day were awesome. They worried they’d be stuck on a tiny stage down a laneway. Not so. Not with this kind of fire n fury. They owned the big Ngā Taniwha / Wellington Airport Stage. They were stoked to be there, apologising for a few rude words but not relenting, hammering out a blistering assault of material. There were songs about taking out the garbage – metaphorical and real, being late for the truck, and a whole feast of “bangers and trash”. Songs like F***k Off, Predatory C*nt, SSRISLY, and Take Out The Trash are staples of their live shows and we got them all. Pogoing and slamming in the front mosh was compulsory. Albeit with the greatest of care and respect for others around us – this is a Welly crowd, you know!

Everything’s quick and you’ll miss it. Punchy two-minute anthems that were a purpose-built soundtrack to life in the broken city (Christchurch). If the name’s ringing a bell, you may have seen them at Twisted Frequency, Dankfest, Feastock, and Waitatifest, or shows opening for Dartz, Dick Move and Earth Tongue.

“Don’t squash the little boy in front, he’s mine”. I was happy to see Tāmaki Makaurau’s Jessica Bailey (Bianca Bailey’s sister) is back in town with her indie-folk project Fables. Her son just stared up in adoration. Quite rightly. Jessica’s got a lovely, sweet voice and her new material, from an upcoming album, was equally gorgeous and thought-provoking. That was helped by some beautiful lilting twang from Dave Khan’s lap steel guitar and silky-smooth bass work from Finn Johansson. She’s known for gentle, heartfelt arrangements and evocative storytelling. So true and resonant, as on new tracks Minibar (about being made redundant) and Woman (about accidentally discovering one’s sexual identity during the writing process, apparently and a melancholy ballad called Chewing (on the setlist), with yet more lap steel from Khan. There was plenty more to enjoy but I’d use up my word limit just raving on. I can’t wait for this new album to drop on 17 April.

Back at the Airport Stage, the party was really kicking off with local funksters, currently a seven-piece, Tahini Bikini, creating a veritable food fight smorgasbord of ‘salad funk’. Dressed like a grunge band but grooving like a Soul crew, they pumped out the jams – an unapologetic heavy blend of brass, Philly-soul, pop and rock. I’ve watched this collective grow stronger and stronger over the years, from Jazz Festival appearances at The Rogue & Vagabond to the big stages. Along with staples Barney Johnson (drums), Cae Heke (bass), Lukas Jury (guitar), Alex Coffey (guitar) and Chev Fraser (trumpet) vocalist Madeline Taylor smashed out powerful, swaggering vocals. She has a fabulous voice for this big band stuff. And was egging the audience along. Every shoulder was bopping, arms were waving, smiles and hugs everywhere, and endless boogieing. They dug up a few classics like Electric Lady and (I think) Fever Dream. Towards the end Johnson kicked out the jams with a rollicking drum solo. Along with OdESSA, who were playing up the road around the same time, they brought the party we were all craving.

Then it was time for the disco queen! Unfortunately, a couple of technical hitches stole time from Lou’ana’s set but that didn’t faze her or her band. Arriving in a spectacular fuchsia pink ensemble (see the photos) and backed by a crew wearing pink/purple satin safari suits she lit up the dance floor with tunes from her latest release Disco Witch, which appropriately blends disco, soul, funk, and R&B, exploring themes of self‑growth, healing, community, and liberation through dance and groove. Her voice is pure honey, engaging and nurturing all at once. You feel good just listening. But it’s better when you’re dancing, and she dropped My World, Disco Coven and my favourite Night Creature in quick succession. The album’s title also appeared. There were some very happy customers, young and old. Aunties, uncles, brothers and sisters were all getting down like it was Studio 54 all over again.

Riiki Reid was the last act I saw on the Airport Stage. Another local artist, she’s come a long way from the RockQuest competitions to playing with Fly My Pretties, Lisa Tomlins told me. And here she was taking on this crowd like she was the headliner. A well-deserved spot, too. She wowed the crowd with her slick, catchy super pop. They were all yelling and cheering as she threw merch into the thick of it. Big smiles from the front row. She tore across the stage, throwing sharp‑edged pop‑diva poses into a wash of glowing red light and rolling clouds of dry ice. Britney, eat yer heart out! What I loved about her performance was her incredible positive energy. With a guitarist, drummer and backing track she performed big hits like Over Romantic, Home With Me, amongst others. I’m pretty sure Paige came out to help on Like You, which was originally a collab between Reid and Balu Brigada. I’m not usually a fan of girl-pop like this but I really got into the mood and swing. It was infectious. How could you not? I reckon her performance was just as good as Charli XCX or any of those others. Best of all, she’s Kiwi. As a Wellingtonian I felt really proud of so much talent this city is producing at the moment.

The final show for me was definitely a Dick Move. Oh, yes, the high-octane Tāmaki Makaurau punk band known for their explosive live shows, political bite, and rapid-fire anthems. And on the tiny Glover Park Stage they shredded up the park like a demented bulldozer driver out of control. From the get-go Lucy Suttor (vocals), Lulu Macrae (bass), Justin Rendell (guitar), Harriet Ellis (guitar) and Luke Boyes (drums) came out of the gate with the firepower of a hundred misguided torpedoes. The front started moshing with the force of a hurricane in a blender. Suttor was a demon possessed, as she spat out song after song – Good Time Girl, Run 4 ya Money, F*ck It, Small Man, and a stack from their latest, Dream, Believe, Achieve. It came at you like fiery darts to the target. She was concentrated and gnarly as a sabre-tooth tiger, spitting lyrics with equal lashing of venom and irony.

But with a huge grin on her face you could tell she was having a good time, too. As we all were. It was a cathartic experience. Emerging from the Whammy Bar scene in 2019, the band have since released three albums that charted nationally, carving out a reputation as an uncompromising and outspoken force for working‑class and feminist politics.

I’ve followed this band since their inception, interviewed them and worked with one of them on festivals for decades. But it’s only the second time I’ve seen them live. It was utterly brilliant. Took me back to 1989 when bands like Skeptics and Wazzo Ghoti ruled the pub scene and wore out the AirWair heels on my Doc Martens.

Totally worn out after jumping about like a mad thing, I regained my composure and strolled home for a cup of tea and a well-earned lie down. CubaDupa Saturday was over for me. Phew!

For Wellington, the weekend marked more than a festival. It signalled a cultural reawakening – and a city determined to reclaim its place as the creative capital of Aotearoa. This year’s festival promised high engagement and plenty of variety. I also saw a few acrobatic performances (briefly) like Moustachio Men and Containable but I missed Aussie noizers Gut Health, the robot battles, and plenty of other events because of the volume of acts available. Spoiled for choice. But was I disappointed? No. The programme was amazing. Something for everyone. It showcased what our city can do. It celebrated life and art and gave everyone great joy. That’s the real taonga here. That’s why this is still the Coolest Little Capital and you can’t beat us on a Good Day!

And finally, thank you to everyone who gave their time to CubaDupa, the organisers, the directors, the artists and the officials. You’ve outdone yourselves and we are so grateful for all your mahi.

Day 1 Photo Galleries:
Gallery 1 – Photo Credit: Andy Russell
Gallery 2 – Photo Credit: Tim Gruar
Gallery 3 – Photo Credit: Jayden Bradshaw

Day 2 Photo Gallery – Photo Credit: Andy Russell