NZ Pie Fest · Festival guides · Plan your day

Plan your day at NZ Pie Fest

Three summer days on the Wellington waterfront. The city's best bakeries, each with one signature pie, a licensed bar, live music into the evening, and a crown decided by your vote. Here is how to make the most of a day at Frank Kitts Park, whether you come solo, with mates or with the whole family.

Before you go: tickets

Early bird entry is $19.90 online until 10 November 2026; after that, tickets are $21. Each ticket has its own QR code, shown on screen right away and emailed to you as soon as you pay. Children under 5 enter free, they just need their own free ticket booked in the same order as yours, so they get their own QR at the gate and nobody queues twice. Everyone 5 and over needs a paid ticket. All prices are in New Zealand dollars and include GST.

What your ticket includes

• Entry for the day, your choice of day.
• One courtesy drink at the bar: an alcoholic option if you are 18 or over with ID, a soft drink otherwise.
• A vote for the People's Pie, one vote per ticket each day.

Everything sits on your ticket QR. It scans once at the gate, and your courtesy drink, tokens and any specials are loaded onto that same QR, ready to spend at the stalls.

How the pies work

Tokens are the pies: $7.50 each, one token gets you one bakery's signature pie at any stall. Every bakery brings exactly one signature pie, so the whole point of the day is to taste your way around and pick your favourites. Buy tokens with your ticket at checkout, or top up with a card in seconds at nzpiefest.co.nz/my, any time before or during the festival. Cash is accepted only at the festival office on site, which loads tokens onto the same QR. Some stalls also offer one extra special beyond their signature pie.

A day that works for kids

The festival is built to be a relaxed summer weekend out. Under 5s are free, kids do not need their own tokens (share yours at the stall), and the site is the flat lawns of Frank Kitts Park. Please leave pets at home: the site is packed with food stalls, hot ovens and big crowds, so no pets are allowed. Certified assistance dogs are always welcome by law.

Getting around the site

Step free routes, accessible toilets and an accessible viewing area are all on site. If you need a hand with anything on the day, any crew member or the info point will sort you out. For buses, trains, the harbour ferry and parking, see the getting there guide.

What if the weather turns?

This is an outdoor summer festival and it goes ahead rain or shine. January is Wellington's sunniest, driest stretch of the year. If a day is ever cancelled for safety, that day is refunded under the cancellation policy.

Stay for the evening

The festival runs 10am to 10:30pm each day. Come for lunch, then settle in: a licensed bar pours local beer, wine and soft drinks, plus coffee and sweet treats, and live music and DJs play across all three days and into each evening. The full line up and the visiting chefs are announced by 10 November 2026 at 10pm.

Cast your vote before you leave

Your ticket includes one People's Pie vote each day of the festival. Rank your top five pies, favourite first, and help crown Wellington's best. How it all works is in the People's Pie guide.

More festival guides: Getting to Frank Kitts Park · The People's Pie explained · Festival policies