Category Archives: Gig reviews

Island Bay Festival Parade 2023

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The long parade along The Parade

Wellington Batucada at Island Bay Festival Parade 2023. Photo by Deborah Shuker.

We’ve been doing the Island Bay Festival parade for a few years now – it’s one of just a few local parades in suburban Wellington, and we always enjoy it. This year was an earlier start than usual – with heaps of festival activities planned for later on in the afternoon, the organisers had decided to kick things off nice and early on Sunday morning.

It’s a long way down The Parade to the waterfront, and perhaps saving the best until last – or maybe it’s because we’re not particularly speedy – we always get placed almost at the end – just in front of the horses (poor things!).

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Summer Sampler 2023

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A dramatically grey-sky day on Wellington’s waterfront

Wellington Batucada at the Summer Sampler 2023. Photo by Tom Etuata.

One of the good things about our 2021 uniform (the red and yellow one) is that it’s visible from space, pretty much. When you’re sitting outside at Mac’s Brewery having a quick beer before the gig, you can spot your fellow band members walking along the waterfront from miles away. It’s quite handy.

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Pablo’s Art Auction 2022

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Art for art’s sake

Wellington Batucada at Pablo's Art Auction 2022. Photo by Rebecca Routhan.

Over the last 20 years Pablo’s Art Auction has gone from a small “Cuba Street vibe” alternative event to a rather up-market affair attended by Wellington’s literati, glitterati, art-erati and everything else-erati. It’s quite a big deal these days, and raises funds for Pablo’s Art Studios’ day-to-day work, providing art therapy, materials, art experiences and creative opportunities of all kinds to people who need them.

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Lumino Festival 2022

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We’re singing and dancing in the rain!

Wellington Batucada at the Lumino Festival 2022. Photo by Nath Young.

Have you ever done that thing (probably when you were a kid) when you’re walking home from school – maybe with your mates who are coming round for tea – and the heavens open (no-one has an umbrella or a raincoat) and by the time you get home you’re all soaked to the skin and so high and excited by the sheer wet madness of it all that it ends up being one of the BEST DAYS EVER. Yeah no me neither.

Oh OK then, yes of course I did. Mum went a bit mad, as you can imagine, but the fact that I can remember it all in such detail all these years later says something about what a special experience it was.

This is the story of what that experience feels like when you’re grown-ups doing a drumming and dancing show on Wellington’s waterfront. In a tropical deluge.

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Day of the Dead – Mexican cultural festival 2022

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Celebrating our ancestors together

Wellington Batucada at Day of the Dead 2022. Photo by Tom Etuata.

Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) festivities unfold over the first two days of November in an explosion of color and life-affirming joy. The theme is death, but the point is to demonstrate love and respect for deceased family members. In towns and cities throughout Mexico, revelers don funky makeup and costumes, hold parades and parties, sing and dance, and make offerings to lost loved ones.

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All Blacks vs Ireland half time performance 2022

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With an audience of 37,000 that we could see, and a few more at home that we couldn’t…

Wellington Batucada performing at half time, All Blacks vs Ireland 2022

It’s the middle of winter. It’s very cold. We’re playing at night. I’m wearing two vests, two t-shirts, two pairs of leggings and a long skirt underneath my summer Batucada uniform.

But what total fun! A brilliant experience, and well worth braving the cold for (and we were super-hot!).

Wellington Batucada team photo after the All Blacks gig

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Re-opening of St James Theatre 2022

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Celebrating the restoration of a Wellington cultural institution

We were thrilled to be invited to take part in the celebrations for the re-opening of the St James Theatre in the centre of Wellington. It’s been closed for three years getting earthquake strengthened, so it was brilliant to be included in the wide range of performance groups taking part.

Wellington Batucada dancers parading through the streets of Wellington

We began with a small group of drummers and dancers parading through town towards the St James, meeting up with parades of other performance groups approaching from all directions to kick off the celebrations.

Throughout the evening, many of Wellington’s rich and varied treasure trove of singers, dancers and performance groups of all kinds entertained the crowds outside the theatre. Wellington Batucada was honoured to be chosen to provide the final show of the evening.

Wellington Batucada drummers on stage outside the St James

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Harcourt’s Conference 2021

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A short and sweet show in the TSB Arena

After an early, rainy start and some adventures negotiating traffic and on-site construction works the crew all assembled on-time and without losing anyone. Phew!

After a try-out for stage positions we waited in the green room and then started the show with a short, noisy, surprise parade into Shed 6 to round everyone up from the breakfast reception and then led them pied piper style across into the main TSB Arena stadium.

Once in there we paraded through the stadium seating and got onto the big stage (with a MASSIVE video screen behind us). Then we gave the crowd a blast of Samba Reggae and Merengue.

Wellington Batucada at the Harcourt's Conference, TSB Arena. On the big screen at the Arena. Photo by Deborah Shuker.

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