Auckland Arts Festival names West End hit The Choir of Man as first 2027 headline act

Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Arts Festival has unveiled the first major production for its 2027 calendar, securing the West End sensation The Choir of Man as its signature Spiegeltent event. As reported by Waatea News on Thursday, 1 October 2026, the Olivier Award-nominated production will headline the festival’s return to Tāmaki Makaurau, transforming the Spiegeltent into a traditional English-style pub with a working on-stage bar. The 75-minute performance features nine cast members who blend singing, dancing, tap, and slam poetry with live instrumentation. The show is known for its high-energy harmonies and audience participation, covering hits from a diverse range of global artists including Queen, Adele, Paul Simon, and Sia. Having completed a four-year run in London’s West End and toured across four continents, the group is expected to be a major draw for the upcoming festival season. Organisers announced the 2027 festival will run from 4 to 21 March across the Tāmaki Makaurau region. The reveal of The Choir of Man marks the beginning of a rolling schedule of programme announcements expected over the coming weeks. The festival is looking to build on the success of the 2026 event, which Waatea News reports saw over 188,000 attendances and generated a direct economic impact of $24.8 million for the city. General public ticket sales for the first two weeks of the show’s run are scheduled to open on Friday, 2 October. The production is the first of many anticipated acts to be hosted under the banner of Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki, which continues to position Auckland as a key hub for major international and local performing arts.