La Fiesta!
NZ's BEST WOMEN'S FEST
The Women's Network proudly presents this annual festival in Whanganui, New Zealand. Established in 2010, La Fiesta is Aotearoa New Zealand's best and longest running women's fest. In its first 17 years it has attracted around 50,000 participants, not just locally, but from around the world.
Click on the poster to download a Festival Guide.
From mid-January, you can pick one up from the friendly team at the i-Site Visitor Centre, any of our cultural institutions, and good places like Paige's Book Gallery, Space Studio & Gallery, and of course at the Women's Network - the home of Fiesta HQ.
2026 represents our seventeenth festival with 90 activities + events, more than 100 festival partners and 35 venues across Whanganui in 30 days.
Explore art, music, workshops, educational talks + lectures, give-it-a-go sports activities, guided tours, yoga and a whole heap of fun. It's a great way to build confidence, get motivated + meet awesome new people.
La Fiesta: NZ's Best Women's Fest. CHAMPION women and girls, ENGAGE our community, LEAD the way.
winter wonderfest
Look out for our sister festival in the winter.
Our annual Winter Wonderfest happens during August, another good reason to visit Whanganui!
Our 2026 festival is scheduled for 11-29 August. Expressions of interest will open in April. Watch this space!
SO MANY GREAT LA FIESTA OFFERINGS
Get into it!
There are so many interesting things to do during La Fiesta! Remember to RSVP and book your tickets. Some events do book up quickly!
Tickets are already on sale for our festival launch and festival finale...plus a few in between.
Festival inspiration: International Women's Day
The inspiration for La Fiesta is to provide a platform to celebrate International Women's Day [IWD] which is commemorated annually on 8 March.
IWD began in 1911 and is recognised by the United Nations as a day of international significance. It is celebrated as a national public holiday in almost 30 countries - in some, it is for women only! IWD acts as a point of reflection for gender equality. Whilst progress has been made, there is still much to do globally to ensure that all women and girls have equitable access to basic human rights, and to live free from all forms of violence and discrimination.
La Fiesta enables a month-long opportunity for our community to activate a focus on women and girls. It also provides opportunities to champion them, to engage our community and to lead the way.
Discover more about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, of which Gender Equality is number 5, by visiting: Goal 5 | Department of Economic and Social Affairs
The theme for International Women’s Day, 8 March 2026 (IWD 2026) is, “Balance the Scales”, highlighting the urgent need to ensure fair, inclusive, and accessible justice for every woman and girl. For more info, visit: https://unwomen.org.au/un-women-australia-announces-2026-international-womens-day-theme-balance-the-scales/
Partner with us
If you have an idea for a future festival event, want to run one, or would like to be involved as a sponsor, holler us! People from all around NZ and across the globe participate as festival partners.
La Fiesta has had exposure to tens of thousands of people so it's a great way to get your brand out there and support a unique-in-New Zealand festival.
A BIG 'thank YOU' to ALL of our incredible festival partners, sponsors, funders and venues across Whanganui. We simply couldn't do it without YOU!
