By Ryan Patrick.

F.O.L.A. is Tāmaki Makaurau’s newest arts festival, bringing unapologetic queer, BIPOC, and intersectional energy in a time when we need it most. 

Founded by the theatre duo Nisha Madhan and Julia Croft, who have been working together for over 10 years, F.O.L.A. is a celebration of live art, as resistance, joy, and cultural deviance. From bullet-casting rituals to DIY rain walks, it is a place where artists from across the Pacific come to play, provoke, and push boundaries.

After years of setbacks, including pandemic delays, the 2023 floods, and the general uphill battle of trying to launch a new festival in these economic times, 2025 finally marked the festival’s full-scale debut. And the response has been “Absolutely exceptional,” says Nisha. 

One thing Nisha and Julia are especially proud of this year is the Festival Hearth, a warm, cosy space for people to congregate and collaborate before and after shows (as well as the afterparty!). So I headed down there to interview the festival’s Art Brats at the Art Brats Brunch.

The Art Brats program is a creative incubation, a way of welcoming emerging artists into the heart of the festival, with the hope that they will come back in future years, not as guests, but as fully fledged headliners. 

Pictured: Emma McManus and Organiser Julia Croft. Photo by Ryan Patrick.

Emma McManus is an interdisciplinary artist from Melbourne whose work focuses on the interactions between humans and animals. Emma felt that the festival was a “great place to experiment” and loved the interactions and intimacy with the public. She appreciated the sense of place that the festival has brought to the fore. It has inspired her to take risks, how to embody your politics, but also hold on to the joy and inspiration of art. She is working on a piece on the Brush Turkey, her favourite bird, as well as a project on the Queer Archives and our history. She is also pretty excited to meet some New Zealand birds.  

Pictured: Jonjon Tolovae. Photo by Ryan Patrick

Jonjon Tolovae, also known as Kaisi Kaisindra, is a fa’afafine trans artist based in Tāmaki Makaurau, who is an actor, poet, and costume designer, and is involved in the Aotearoa Ballroom scene. Jonjon loves the uniqueness, different views and stories, and the opportunity to share that FOLA brings. There are so many artists who want to break out of the mold, and FOLA allows them to do it. Coming up in a very traditional theatre background, she has felt that FOLA has allowed her to realise, “you’re allowed to do that. Your art only ever has to speak to you.” Jonjon has a residency coming up at Basement Theatre in November. She’s also tempted to join Raven in wrestling.

Pictured: Raven Purcell. Photo by Ryan Patrick.

Raven Purcell is a Samoan-Tokelauan performance and dance artist who also has recently joined the pro wrestling scene, drawn in by the physicality of it. Raven has felt that the Auckland art scene has felt quite bleak as of late, and that FOLA has really injected a reawakening, a fierceness, and a sense of community back into the scene, and they especially love seeing the diversity of the arts community. FOLA has inspired Raven to resurrect a piece that they started last year, fresh and stripped back to the bone. They feel, “exposure to the arts, when you come in with openness, it reflects back at you. I can do that. Now I’m ready to serve again.” Raven has a residency at Factory Theatre later this year, as well as shows in Australia, and regularly performs with Impact Pro Wrestling.  

Manu Vaea, Manuha’apai Vaeatangitau (Lapaha, ‘Utulau, Tongatapu), is an interdisciplinary artist living in Tāmaki Makaurau working in visual and textile arts, as well as a writer and actor. She found that FOLA has reawakened her desire for live performance after experiencing a lull during the pandemic. She has been amazed at the artists’ willingness to be vulnerable with the audiences on stage. The way that the festival has been organised has invited the audience to participate with the artists. It has inspired her to be on stage, “be a slave to your memory … to the elasticity of time, to be a part of that. Be candid, be gross.” Recently, she has written a piece for the Auckland City Library and has been working in multiple writing groups, so look out for more of her work coming soon. 

Pictured: Janaye Henry. Photo by Ryan Patrick

Janaye Henry, Ngāti Kahu ki Whangaroa, self-defined clown baby, as she plays in the creative fields of comedy, acting, and writing, aiming to create joyous works with her friends. You may have seen her on Celebrity Treasure Island or watched one of the many shows she has written for. She has been teaching sex education in a theatre show around New Zealand schools, and coming back for the festival, she felt the “magic, sacred, cultish vibes, in a good way” of FOLA. She has loved the shows so far and is excited, but nervous, for Glory Whole to close out the festival. She has been collaborating with Sean Vivera on sketch comedy, and FOLA has inspired her to fully commit to making art for the niche that she is a part of. 

Pictured: Kitty Wasala. Photo by Ryan Patrick.

Kitty Wasala, Ngāti Whātua Ōrakei ki Tāmaki Makaurau, is a freelance writer, featuring on Bad Apple, Shortland Street, The Spinoff, and The Pantograph Punch (RIP). She has had an amazing time at FOLA, feeling refreshed and invigorated by what she has seen, with Medium Density Fantasy being her favourite so far. She’s been inspired all around by FOLA, which has been a real boost, having felt a little low, thanks to the government’s lack of funding for the arts. She’s currently writing for mupltiple projects, and is looking to get back into acting, being really inspired by David Byrne. “Long live FOLA and long live experimental art.”

While the full festival won’t return until 2027, F.O.L.A. isn’t disappearing. A curated lineup of international shows is coming to Tāmaki Makaurau in 2026. In a world getting more corporate, more dull, and more uniform, F.O.L.A. is a needed breath of fresh air. Get out and support your local independent artists!

If you found this interesting, keep an eye out for our reviews of the F.O.L.A. shows, Materiel World, and Glory Whole.