Five Moments Not To Miss at CubaDupa 2024 Festival

We asked CubaDupa Music & Festival Producer Bianca Bailey aka Wiri Donna the impossible — to name five must-experience moments at this weekend's all-free, whanau-friendly, two day music and arts extravaganza, out of more than 250 performances / 800 performers in total.

The glorious thing about this festival is that it is scattered with so many ‘blink and you’ll miss it moments’. It’s a blessing and a curse, because you’ll either happen to find yourself stumbling across something stunning, scary or truly bizarre — or you’ll hear about it from your friends the next day because you were too hungover to get out of bed before 1pm.

So I present to you these moments, which might seem spontaneous, but are actually carefully programmed down to the minute. If planned accordingly, you won’t have to wonder what you’ve missed out on, you’ll be there.

CubaDupa 2024

Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th March - Cuba Street precinct, Te Whanganui-a-Tara / Wellington (free, all-ages)
For full programme details head along to www.cubadupa.co.nz

Music lineup features... ABRZY, AKSamba, Amba Holly, Amira, Awa, BABETECH, Bad Taste, Battleska Galactica, Bay Batucada, BigMacSlabs, Billington's Ballistic Blues!, Birdlife Productions, Brainwave, Brazza, Brew House Beats Residents, BTD B*tches, Buffalo Rider, BXRT, C-26 Salsa Band, Camerata Caipira, Carb on Carb, Cecilia's Crop, Chase Woods & Shush, Cherry Punch, Chloe Loftus, Chronic Shnxman, Clube do Choro Wellington, COLOSSAL, Cruelly, Crumbly Jack, Crying Club, CubaDupa Soul Train with Other Futures Big Band, CUBAN☆FUSION, Danica Bryant, Diana Chasma, DJ By Accident, DJ Coco, DJ Coda, DJ Don Luchito, DJ Dozen, DJ MAZDEF, DJ Mikki Dee, DJ ORIKoL, DJ Takas, DJ Tommy Thomas, DKAV, Donk Dobbo, Dylz, Ellay W, Eml, Esbee, Fine Wine Social Club, First Reserve, Foley, Franck Vigroux & Antoine Schmitt, Further Sound, FVKVKSHIMA, Gina Hwang, Girls Rock the Boys, glitzclub, Good Things DJs, Goodnight My Darling, Half Hexagon, Hearth, Idhayam, Imon Starr - Emcee, Iris Little, Isabella Rovo and Camerata Caipira, Isabella Rovo with Fohobodó musicians, Iskra, James Graves, Jen Kyle, Jenna Winterton, Jordyn with a Why, Kāpiti Art Studio, Korekash, L'immédiat, Lakeboon, Lost Tribe Aotearoa, Louis ™, Ludus, Maddyhoon, Maiden Name, Manaia Toa, ManicPixieDJ, Megan McCarthy, MELODOWNZ, MESSIE, Mikeyy, Miles Hendricks, Milk Tooth, Mishahesa, Miss Juliet, Mo Etc., MOHI, Momggol, Mr Bump, Neverwoz, NOYER B2B TAMAR, OdESSA, Olin Yoliztli, Oscar Lavën's WildSax, Pacific Connection, Parcel of Rogues, PLUG, PollyHill x Samara Alofa, Practice Presents, Red Dog Saloon Band, Revulva, Richard Killeen Exhibition, Ripship, Romi Wrights, ROO, Ruwa, Samba dos Amigos, Sean O'Connor - Emcee, Shepherds Reign, Shut Up & Dance Ltd, Side Eye, Snakebone, Soft Bait, Solar Daze, Solid Gold Dance Crew, Son de Cuba Quartet, Spontaneous Rhombustion, Star Time, Stu x Wade, SUNAINA, The Giant Balloon Show, The Great Donsey, The Nukes, The Salvation Army Cuba Street Brass, The Shicka Chickas, The Weather Machine, Thom Buchanan, Tom Knowles with Friends, Tyler Leggett, Uncle Silverback, Unidos de Aotearoa, Unwell, Vanessa Stacey - Emcee, Vati, Vesika, VNESS, Vorn, Vox Ethno, WAGUAN, Wallflower, Warren Duncan & Zamalek, warwick donald, Wellington Batucada, WHO SHOT SCOTT, Willy SmacknTush - Emcee, Windy Workshop, Yaw Asumadu and Ozi Ozaa, Yumoi Zheng & Isadora Lao, Zamba Flam, Zane and Degge

1. Pacific Connection - Saturday 1.00pm, Ngā Toi Ō Te Aro Stage

Formed in 2019, Pacific Connection fuse Pacific music and sounds with barbershop, acappella, gospel, Disney music and more. This choir with over 50 members will be filling the park on Saturday with mesmerising moments. This unique musical experience is the ultimate reason to get out of bed.

2. Iris Little - Saturday 3.30pm, Garage Project Wild Workshop Stage

Somewhat ironically, my first encounter with Iris was at CubaDupa back in 2019, with their previous band playing in Glover Park. When I first arrived I thought Sky Canvas were an instrumental group, but I couldn’t help but feel there was something missing. Turns out, it was Iris! They’d been stuck at the airport with a flight delay and arrived with five minutes to spare. Granted it was probably the best five minutes of my life, their vocals were powerful, heavenly, and hypnotic. I remember being so sad when they finished. I can’t wait to see their new neo-folk project live and in full.

3. Colossal - Saturday 7.30pm and 9.30pm, Hannah's Courtyard

The Colossal circus crew never cease to amaze with their weird and wonderful theatre and aerial works. There’s something strangely impressive with being comfortable flinging yourself around in the air, six meters above the asphalt. This year Colossal are bringing us Imogen & Jackson’s Dream Garden, as well as Zane and Degge.

4. WHO SHOT SCOTT - Saturday 11.00pm, Glover Park Stage

WHO SHOT SCOTT is the Iraqi-born, NZ-bred Zaidoon Nasir. His genre-crossing production combined with fearless songwriting has carved him out an international cult-like following. I’m excited CubaDupa get’s to host WHO SHOT SCOTT’s very first Pōneke performance. I've heard it’s explosive and the energy is unparalleled.

5. The Queen’s Closet - Sunday 2.00pm, 2.50pm and 3.40pm, Cuba Mall

Last year, The Queen’s Closet gave us a live version of Battleships, but with those old-timey trumpets, this year, they’ve got a new bit!

In Renaissance England, every respectable town had a band of ‘Waits’, or town musicians. The Waits Band was a fixture at every notable event, and so of course The Queen's Closet Waits Band is coming to CubaDupa! Their shawms, sackbuts, cornetti, slide trumpet and madrigal singers will perform 17th century dance music, creating sounds possibly never before heard in Pōneke.

A list of things which need no explanations, which you should also definitely not miss: Revulva, Foley, Milk Tooth, Maiden Name, Jordyn with a Why, Soft Bait, PolyHill x Samara Alofa, MELODOWNZ, Zoe Moon, Ripship, Plug, Mohi, Half Hexagon, Eml, Carb on Carb, and more…

View the full CubaDuba 2024 lineup and info on all performing acts HERE.