diff --git a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/api/aws-auth/sdk.ts b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/api/aws-auth/sdk.ts
index 25a04aac6ef0a..5dc345226824f 100644
--- a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/api/aws-auth/sdk.ts
+++ b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/api/aws-auth/sdk.ts
@@ -51,7 +51,9 @@ import {
   DescribeResourceScanCommand,
   type DescribeResourceScanCommandInput,
   type DescribeResourceScanCommandOutput,
+  DescribeStackEventsCommand,
   type DescribeStackEventsCommandInput,
+  DescribeStackEventsCommandOutput,
   DescribeStackResourcesCommand,
   DescribeStackResourcesCommandInput,
   DescribeStackResourcesCommandOutput,
@@ -86,12 +88,10 @@ import {
   ListStacksCommand,
   ListStacksCommandInput,
   ListStacksCommandOutput,
-  paginateDescribeStackEvents,
   paginateListStackResources,
   RollbackStackCommand,
   RollbackStackCommandInput,
   RollbackStackCommandOutput,
-  StackEvent,
   StackResourceSummary,
   StartResourceScanCommand,
   type StartResourceScanCommandInput,
@@ -404,7 +404,7 @@ export interface ICloudFormationClient {
     input: UpdateTerminationProtectionCommandInput,
   ): Promise<UpdateTerminationProtectionCommandOutput>;
   // Pagination functions
-  describeStackEvents(input: DescribeStackEventsCommandInput): Promise<StackEvent[]>;
+  describeStackEvents(input: DescribeStackEventsCommandInput): Promise<DescribeStackEventsCommandOutput>;
   listStackResources(input: ListStackResourcesCommandInput): Promise<StackResourceSummary[]>;
 }
 
@@ -664,13 +664,8 @@ export class SDK {
         input: UpdateTerminationProtectionCommandInput,
       ): Promise<UpdateTerminationProtectionCommandOutput> =>
         client.send(new UpdateTerminationProtectionCommand(input)),
-      describeStackEvents: async (input: DescribeStackEventsCommandInput): Promise<StackEvent[]> => {
-        const stackEvents = Array<StackEvent>();
-        const paginator = paginateDescribeStackEvents({ client }, input);
-        for await (const page of paginator) {
-          stackEvents.push(...(page?.StackEvents || []));
-        }
-        return stackEvents;
+      describeStackEvents: (input: DescribeStackEventsCommandInput): Promise<DescribeStackEventsCommandOutput> => {
+        return client.send(new DescribeStackEventsCommand(input));
       },
       listStackResources: async (input: ListStackResourcesCommandInput): Promise<StackResourceSummary[]> => {
         const stackResources = Array<StackResourceSummary>();
diff --git a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/api/util/cloudformation/stack-event-poller.ts b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/api/util/cloudformation/stack-event-poller.ts
index 9fa192fea1ce2..efc66da8ef3b0 100644
--- a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/api/util/cloudformation/stack-event-poller.ts
+++ b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/api/util/cloudformation/stack-event-poller.ts
@@ -88,65 +88,64 @@ export class StackEventPoller {
   private async doPoll(): Promise<ResourceEvent[]> {
     const events: ResourceEvent[] = [];
     try {
-      const eventList = await this.cfn.describeStackEvents({
-        StackName: this.props.stackName,
-      });
-      for (const event of eventList) {
-        // Event from before we were interested in 'em
-        if (this.props.startTime !== undefined && event.Timestamp!.valueOf() < this.props.startTime) {
-          return events;
-        }
-
-        // Already seen this one
-        if (this.eventIds.has(event.EventId!)) {
-          return events;
-        }
-        this.eventIds.add(event.EventId!);
-
-        // The events for the stack itself are also included next to events about resources; we can test for them in this way.
-        const isParentStackEvent = event.PhysicalResourceId === event.StackId;
-
-        if (isParentStackEvent && this.props.stackStatuses?.includes(event.ResourceStatus ?? '')) {
-          return events;
+      let nextToken: string | undefined;
+      let finished = false;
+
+      while (!finished) {
+        const page = await this.cfn.describeStackEvents({ StackName: this.props.stackName, NextToken: nextToken });
+        for (const event of page?.StackEvents ?? []) {
+          // Event from before we were interested in 'em
+          if (this.props.startTime !== undefined && event.Timestamp!.valueOf() < this.props.startTime) {
+            return events;
+          }
+
+          // Already seen this one
+          if (this.eventIds.has(event.EventId!)) {
+            return events;
+          }
+          this.eventIds.add(event.EventId!);
+
+          // The events for the stack itself are also included next to events about resources; we can test for them in this way.
+          const isParentStackEvent = event.PhysicalResourceId === event.StackId;
+
+          if (isParentStackEvent && this.props.stackStatuses?.includes(event.ResourceStatus ?? '')) {
+            return events;
+          }
+
+          // Fresh event
+          const resEvent: ResourceEvent = {
+            event: event,
+            parentStackLogicalIds: this.props.parentStackLogicalIds ?? [],
+            isStackEvent: isParentStackEvent,
+          };
+          events.push(resEvent);
+
+          if (
+            !isParentStackEvent &&
+              event.ResourceType === 'AWS::CloudFormation::Stack' &&
+              isStackBeginOperationState(event.ResourceStatus)
+          ) {
+            // If the event is not for `this` stack and has a physical resource Id, recursively call for events in the nested stack
+            this.trackNestedStack(event, [...(this.props.parentStackLogicalIds ?? []), event.LogicalResourceId ?? '']);
+          }
+
+          if (isParentStackEvent && isStackTerminalState(event.ResourceStatus)) {
+            this.complete = true;
+          }
         }
 
-        // Fresh event
-        const resEvent: ResourceEvent = {
-          event: event,
-          parentStackLogicalIds: this.props.parentStackLogicalIds ?? [],
-          isStackEvent: isParentStackEvent,
-        };
-        events.push(resEvent);
-
-        if (
-          !isParentStackEvent &&
-          event.ResourceType === 'AWS::CloudFormation::Stack' &&
-          isStackBeginOperationState(event.ResourceStatus)
-        ) {
-          // If the event is not for `this` stack and has a physical resource Id, recursively call for events in the nested stack
-          this.trackNestedStack(event, [...(this.props.parentStackLogicalIds ?? []), event.LogicalResourceId ?? '']);
+        nextToken = page?.NextToken;
+        if (nextToken === undefined) {
+          finished = true;
         }
 
-        if (isParentStackEvent && isStackTerminalState(event.ResourceStatus)) {
-          this.complete = true;
-        }
       }
     } catch (e: any) {
       if (!(e.name === 'ValidationError' && e.message === `Stack [${this.props.stackName}] does not exist`)) {
         throw e;
       }
     }
-    // // Also poll all nested stacks we're currently tracking
-    // for (const [logicalId, poller] of Object.entries(this.nestedStackPollers)) {
-    //   events.push(...(await poller.poll()));
-    //   if (poller.complete) {
-    //     delete this.nestedStackPollers[logicalId];
-    //   }
-    // }
-
-    // // Return what we have so far
-    // events.sort((a, b) => a.event.Timestamp!.valueOf() - b.event.Timestamp!.valueOf());
-    // this.events.push(...events);
+
     return events;
   }
 
diff --git a/packages/aws-cdk/test/api/util/cloudformation/stack-event-poller.test.ts b/packages/aws-cdk/test/api/util/cloudformation/stack-event-poller.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..6ff65e4eba58f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/aws-cdk/test/api/util/cloudformation/stack-event-poller.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+import { DescribeStackEventsCommand, DescribeStackEventsCommandInput, StackEvent } from '@aws-sdk/client-cloudformation';
+import { StackEventPoller } from '../../../../lib/api/util/cloudformation/stack-event-poller';
+import { MockSdk, mockCloudFormationClient } from '../../../util/mock-sdk';
+
+beforeEach(() => {
+  jest.resetAllMocks();
+});
+
+describe('poll', () => {
+
+  test('polls all necessary pages', async () => {
+
+    const deployTime = Date.now();
+
+    const postDeployEvent1: StackEvent = {
+      Timestamp: new Date(deployTime + 1000),
+      EventId: 'event-1',
+      StackId: 'stack-id',
+      StackName: 'stack',
+    };
+
+    const postDeployEvent2: StackEvent = {
+      Timestamp: new Date(deployTime + 2000),
+      EventId: 'event-2',
+      StackId: 'stack-id',
+      StackName: 'stack',
+    };
+
+    const sdk = new MockSdk();
+    mockCloudFormationClient.on(DescribeStackEventsCommand).callsFake((input: DescribeStackEventsCommandInput) => {
+      const result = {
+        StackEvents: input.NextToken === 'token' ? [postDeployEvent2] : [postDeployEvent1],
+        NextToken: input.NextToken === 'token' ? undefined : 'token', // simulate a two page event stream.
+      };
+
+      return result;
+    });
+
+    const poller = new StackEventPoller(sdk.cloudFormation(), {
+      stackName: 'stack',
+      startTime: new Date().getTime(),
+    });
+
+    const events = await poller.poll();
+    expect(events.length).toEqual(2);
+
+  });
+
+  test('does not poll unnecessary pages', async () => {
+
+    const deployTime = Date.now();
+
+    const preDeployTimeEvent: StackEvent = {
+      Timestamp: new Date(deployTime - 1000),
+      EventId: 'event-1',
+      StackId: 'stack-id',
+      StackName: 'stack',
+    };
+
+    const sdk = new MockSdk();
+    mockCloudFormationClient.on(DescribeStackEventsCommand).callsFake((input: DescribeStackEventsCommandInput) => {
+
+      // the first event we return should stop the polling. we therefore
+      // do not expect a second page to be polled.
+      expect(input.NextToken).toBe(undefined);
+
+      return {
+        StackEvents: [preDeployTimeEvent],
+        NextToken: input.NextToken === 'token' ? undefined : 'token', // simulate a two page event stream.
+      };
+
+    });
+
+    const poller = new StackEventPoller(sdk.cloudFormation(), {
+      stackName: 'stack',
+      startTime: new Date().getTime(),
+    });
+
+    await poller.poll();
+
+  });
+
+});