2026 Auckland Wooden Boat Festival - Starts Friday at 4.00pm
by Zoe Hawkins 12 Mar 22:37 NZDT
Auckland Wooden Boat Festival starts Friday March 13 at 4.00pm © Auckland Wooden Boat Festival
Auckland Wooden Boat Festival starts on late Friday afternoon - here's what you need to maximise your time visiting the show.
Firstly, you’re in for a treat. Fifty different groups have contributed to this multi layered maritime story-telling extravaganza, both outside on Jellicoe Harbour and at our three covered venues - where you can get out of the weather if need be. We’ve got a significant Pacific focus, the A class beauties, little Tuna, scows, steam boats, work boats, sail boats, art, and even the Bay Belle has come off her work dock to be there, Have a Go, models, and so much more - you have to be there to see it.
Times and places
The Auckland Wooden Boat Festival starts on Friday evening 13 March and runs through the weekend:
- 4pm-8pm Friday 13 March
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- 10am-5pm Saturday 14 March
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- 10am-5pm Sunday 15 March
It takes place across four Wynyard Quarter venues:
- Viaduct Events Centre
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- Jellicoe Harbour
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- New Zealand Maritime Museum
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- Percy Vos Heritage Boat Yard
When you arrive you’ll be given a souvenir trail map, and a sticker.
What to bring
The weather forecast is typically Auckland. It could be hot, cold, windy, wet, sunny and possibly all of those at once. The four venues are spread across roughly 800m - so a water bottle, comfortable shoes, and a rain jacket and sunscreen are all recommended. Be aware, you’ll need to remove your shoes to climb onboard the boats.
Transport
For the smoothest visit, we recommend arriving early or aiming for the later part of the day. Jellicoe Carpark and Downtown Carpark are the closest paid carparks - there is no free parking close by and public transport, bikes, walking and even ubers are good to consider. For those new to the area, we set up this page with some helpful info about planning your trip.
Don’t miss your free seminar tickets
A reminder that while tickets are free, bookings are required for the Speaker and Seminar program - you can browse the line up by clicking here