Let your lantern shine in the Year of the Horse Let your lantern shine in the Year of the Horse
Date: 25 February 2026
New Zealand’s largest cultural festival kicks off in Auckland this week and Auckland Transport (AT) has got easy ways for you to get there.
The BNZ Auckland Lantern Festival is taking place at Manukau Sports Bowl from Thursday 26 February to Sunday 1 March, from 4pm to 10:30pm.
The free family-friendly festival celebrates the culmination of the traditional fortnight of Lunar New Year celebrations. The festival date changes every year according to the lunar calendar and every year a new Chinese zodiac animal is celebrated.
Group Manager of Public Transport Operations, Rachel Cara says AT is proud to mark the Year of the Horse.
“The horse symbolises vitality, speed, independence and an unrestrained spirit in a year of movement, pursuit and breakthrough, quite apt with the eagerly anticipated start of City Rail Link later this year.
“We want to remind people that as usual for major events, travel on buses and trains is free from 2pm until the end of daily services when showing your event ticket. We will also have special event buses running from Manukau Station and Manukau Westfield to transport people to the festival quickly and conveniently.
“We’ve also got one of our buses wrapped in a Chinese New Year theme so keep an eye out for that on route 70, from Botany to Waitematā.”
More than 110,000 people are expected over the four-day event, with something for everyone, including: over 500 dazzling handmade lanterns on display; traditional and contemporary performances; more than 50 street stalls on-site selling delicious food from many cultures; family friendly amusement rides; a Shoot for the Stars basketball court featuring skills sessions and a spectacular fireworks display at the end of the festival on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.
The special event buses will run to and from Manukau Sports Bowl, each day from 3:45pm to 11pm. Buses will depart from outside the Manukau Train Station, Stop A on Davies Avenue, travel to Manukau Westfield Shopping Centre, and continue to Manukau Sports Bowl outside Gate B. They will then return to Manukau Train Station Stop A and repeat the same route. Head to AT.govt.nz/events to find out more.
On the weekend of the event, there will be a partial closure on the Eastern Line, with trains not running between Waitematā and Ōtāhuhu. Trains will continue to run between Ōtāhuhu and Manukau though so if you’re coming from Waitematā, hop on a Southern line train and change to the Eastern line at Ōtāhuhu. Buses will also replace trains between Waitemata and Ōtāhuhu on the Eastern Line. Use the AT Journey Planner or the AT Mobile app to plan your journey.