Out There in the Square

Out There in the Square takes over Aotea Square with a school-holiday programme built around doing rather than watching. The POPS! inflatable characters — Peep, Pop, Zig, Bloop, Mmph and Ooph — live in the square around the clock, while the daily play activities run from late September into October: kids can try Ngā Taonga Tākaro (traditional Māori games), join circus workshops with Te Kura Maninirau, make music in a ukulele jam with The Nukes, or craft a POPS!-inspired hat with The Open Fort.

The Dance-O-Mat outdoor dance floor lets families connect a phone, pick a song, and cut loose all day long. On the festival closing weekend, Projekt Team hosts a Biggie & Smalls street dance battle and Rina Chae leads a K-Pop POP Party.

Outdoor picnic tables and umbrellas make it easy for whānau to settle in, eat lunch, and treat the square as a base for the day.