Ahead of the official opening of Karanga-a-Hape Station, Karangahape Road is inviting Aucklanders to First Thursdays on Thursday 6 August for a one-night-only celebration.
The iconic event returns to K Rd featuring music, art, late-night shopping and hospitality, new artist residencies along the street AND an exclusive, limited-capacity Vogue Ball inside the brand-new Karanga-a-Hape Station before it officially opens to the public later this year.
Presented by The International Kiki House of IMAN, THE UNDERGROUND BALL will bring the energy, artistry and culture of Ballroom.
Serving high fashion lewks, pumping down the platform and voguing down under, IMAN invites our community and allies into one of Auckland's newest public spaces, offering a limited number of people the opportunity to experience the station before it officially opens.
“Where steel meets skin. To go underground is to return to the histories of our brown and black communities and the people who created space for us here, specifically on Karangahape road. Honouring its flesh and bones within the steel walls, whether we arrive or depart, we are engraved into its DNA ......" - The Kiki House of Iman
The event forms part of First Thursdays, K Road's monthly celebration where the street comes alive with live music, street activations, late-night shopping, food, art and community events.
Artists move into empty shops along K’ road
K Road is also proud to announce a new artist residency programme, delivered in association with Artspace Aotearoa.
The programme brings together five artist residencies, with three selected by Artspace Aotearoa - Moat (Ziggy Humberstone, Reuben Gabor), Mirror Spectrum Journal Division (Millie Dunstall), and Haumi e Studios (Carmel Aroha Salmanzadeh, Maraky Vowells, Kaliyah Lima)—and two selected by the Karangahape Business Association: Nayesha Waiti-Mulholland and Olivia McGregor.
The artists will be given the freedom to use the spaces as galleries and working studios, with the proviso that the public will have opportunities to see what they are creating and experience the spaces as the residencies develop. All five artist spaces will open to the public for the first time as part of First Thursdays on Thursday 6 August.
Three of the residencies are located in Ironbank, with the two others located across the road in the former Smoove/Thrift Away shops.
The programme has been made possible through the generosity of landlords and property owners, including Samson & Bayleys who have made empty spaces available for artists.
"Artist-run spaces are vital places for experimentation, collaboration and creative development, playing an important role in supporting the next generation of artists and creatives. Through this partnership, we’re able to support artists with space to explore new ideas while creating opportunities for the public to encounter their work and creative practices. Supporting these practices is central to building a resilient and evolving contemporary art sector, and we’re excited to see these artists contribute to the creative life of Karangahape Road and beyond." - Felixe Laing, Kaiwhakapā Communications Coordinator Artspace Aotearoa.
“The empty shops artist residency program is an example of property owners, Auckland Council and artists all working together to regenerate space. It’s acknowledging the power of artists to create community and to draw people back to the area. We are so excited to be able to offer these emerging artists the opportunity and cant wait for everyone to see their work at First Thursdays.” - Ella Mizrahi, KBA
FIRST THURSDAYS: THE STREET COMES ALIVE
Alongside the station event and artist residencies, First Thursdays will see businesses, artists, musicians and the wider K Road community come together for an evening of activity across Karangahape Road including Celestial markets.
Expect live music, street activations, shops open late, food, art and more.
THURSDAY 6 AUGUST 2026
First Thursdays on K Road
Free | Across Karangahape Road
K Road Artist Residencies - Gallery Openings
Free | Locations across Karangahape Road
THE UNDERGROUND KIKI BALL - Presented by The International Kiki House of IMAN
Vogue ball inside Karanga-a-Hape Station
6:30pm - 10:00pm Limited tickets available online on 27 July 2026 - via our KRoad Instagram.
