Free museum entry for New Zealanders and people living in New Zealand
Open every day 10am-6pm
(except Christmas Day)
Free museum entry for New Zealanders and people living in New Zealand
Whakatau mai ki tētahi pō whakataetae whakaari i te rerehua, ā-kākahu hoki e whakanui ana i te hunga takatāpui, hunga whakawāhine hoki, me te rerehua o te toi Ballroom.
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Experience a night of performances, beauty, and fashion as walkers compete for trophies in a display of queer and trans joy, liberation, and Ballroom artistry.
Sat 4 Oct 2025, 6.30pm to 12.30am
Amokura, Level 4
Selling out fast
$25+ General Admission
$10 Community Admission
Free for walkers
This is an R-16 event.
The Trailblazing Kiki House of Marama present The Grand Kiki House Of Marama Ball.
The Grand Kiki House of Marama Ball will celebrate five years of Marama excellence and the legacy of the growing Wellington Ballroom* scene.
With a fabulous line-up of categories, judges, commentators, and a DJ, including major local and international Ballroom figures, we invite you to wear your best outfits and prepare to finger snap, dance, and cheer the night away.
Virgin Vogue – A Marama Storm (Treasure Chest)
Bizarre – Nocturnal Creatures of Folklore
Realness (Femme Queens, Trans Men, and Butch Queens) – Date Night Under the Moonlight
Hands Performance – Memoirs from Mother Marama
Body (Slim, Thicc and Luscious) – Heavenly Bodies
Butch Queen Vogue Fem – A Marama Storm (Pirates)
Face (Female Figures, Male Figures, and Gender Non-Conforming) – Beauty of the Blood Moon
OTA (Open to All) Best Dressed – Once in a Blue Moon
Commentator vs. Commentator – Echoes of the Moon
Femme Queen Performance – A Marama Storm (Mermaids)
OTA Runway – The Phases of Marama
House of the Night
Icon Arturo Mulan (NYC Father of the House of Miyake-Mugler)
Legendary Overall Founding Mother Jaycee Iman
Trailblazing Founding Mother Ella Alexander
Legendary Founding Father Tamatoa Aitu
Founding Fatheir Fang Coven-Aucoin
Icon Tantine Matyouz Royalty (International Godmother of the House of Gorgeous Gucci)
Orijah Marama
ATARANGI
The Burnett Foundation and Nevertheless Trust will also be there on the night, offering sexual health and mental wellbeing advice and guidance.
Contact the House of Marama on Instagram @houseofmarama or your local Ballroom leaders for the access codes to Ballroom Community Spectators & Walkers tickets.
There is a discount code that provides FREE access for Femme Queens who are not walking or competing. Contact us or your local leaders for the discount code.
The Grand Kiki House of Marama Ball is hosted by the Trailblazing Kiki House of Marama and proudly supported by OVĀ Collective and Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.
This is an R-16 event.
Ballroom is a subculture created in the late 1960s in Harlem, New York. Forged by Black and Latinx trans women and queer communities, it began as a protest against the racism they faced from White counterparts within the LGBTQIA+ community, as well as the transphobia and queerphobia they faced from mainstream society.
It is a space held to protect trans women of colour. Therefore, guests and participants of this culture alike must uphold respect and honour for this sacred space and those from which it came from. Homophobia, transphobia, or any discriminatory language and/or beliefs will not be tolerated. Remember to check your privilege at the door.
Learn more about the culture of Underground Ballroom on Google Arts and Culture.
Be sure to check out the growing Wellington Ballroom scene and community by following @houseofmarama and @ova_collective on Instagram.
The Grand Kiki House of Marama Ball featuring The Trailblazing Kiki House of Marama. Photo by Hohua Kurene
Free workshops to learn the fundamentals of Vogue Fem and other Ballroom categories led by internationally renowned Ballroom icons and legends Arturo Mulan, Matyouz Royalty, and Jaycee Iman.
This event is held at Te Auaha, Wellington. Check event for details.
Fri 3 Oct 2025, 6.00–10.00pm
Event Ngā kaupapa motuhake
Leading up to The Grand Kiki House of Marama Ball this panel talk will delve into the world of Ballroom, its history and culture, how it found its way to the shores of Aotearoa, and its growing presence here in Te Whanganui-a-Tara.
Thu 2 Oct 2025, 6.30–8.00pm
Event Ngā kaupapa motuhake
The trailblazing Kiki House of Marama will be hosting the Grand Kiki House of Marama Ball at Te Papa on Saturday 4 October. The Kiki House of Marama goes into detail about the history of the Ballroom scene internationally and in Aotearoa New Zealand, who the Kiki House of Marama are, and what to expect at a Ballroom event.
