Music Festivals

Summer Music Festivals in New Zealand

Get amongst some of New Zealand (and the world's) greatest music every summer at one of the many summer music festivals on offer around the country during the warmer months.

• Music and Dance Events

Summer and New Zealand music festivals go together like beer and BBQs, or champagne and strawberries (depending on the kind of Kiwi summer you enjoy!). There are several annual music festivals going on around the country over the summer months - so grab your friends, tents and dancing shoes and get yourself to one of the many music events around the country this season.

Blues, Brews and BBQ's
Held on separate days in January and February in Mt Maunganui, Hastings and Blenheim, the Blues, Brews and BBQs festival is a celebration of everything that is unique about the quintessential Kiwi summer: cold beer, hot BBQs and great music. We all know that New Zealand is a world-renowned wine producer, but Blues, Brews and BBQs gives New Zealand a chance to showcase another of the beverages we do so well; finely crafted ales. Keyed with some mellow blues tunes in the style of Kiwi favourites like Hello Sailor, The Winch Brothers, Midge Marsden, Darcy Perry Blues Band and Darren Watson, this festival is a great way to mellow out a summer's day.

Big Day Out
Probably the biggest single day extravaganza of international music that the Southern Hemisphere gets to see on a yearly basis, the Big Day Out is held annually in mid to late January in Auckland. This massive event features rock, dance, hip-hop and alternative artists take several stages in front of tens of thousands, and gets bigger and better every year. Many of the world's biggest bands have played at this event, from Rage Against the Machine to Bjork, Artic Monkeys to The Living End, the Black Eyed Peas to The White Stripes.

Canaan Downs
Canaan Downs is a large New Years Eve festival, held on the famous Takaka Hill at the top of the South Island. Held there since 1996, the music festival is set amongst pure and natural New Zealand, surrounded by native bush, lime stone rocks and rolling grasses. Deep tribal vibes, dance, rock and love are key themes to the Canaan Downs festival, as are DJ driven sounds and stomping good times.

Phat
Also held over the New Years period, this four day festival features the best in live breakbeat, dub, drum n bass, reggae, dubstep and hip-hop music from local and international artists. Held on the West Coast of the South Island, this festival invites you to camp amongst a valley of native rainforest, just three hours drive from Christchurch. Acts include some of the world's top DJs from the UK, Europe and America, including Andy C and MC Lowqui, Dieselboy, Benga, Breakfastaz, plus local favourites Katchafire, Concord Dawn and Salmonella Dub.  

Rhythm & Vines
The Rhythm & Vibes music festival has fastly become the biggest New Years Ever festival in New Zealand in recent years, every year adding bigger and more prominent international acts to the lineup. Previously featuring artists like the New Young Pony Club, Scribe and Hollie Smith, the festival has grown into a bigger event pulling the likes of The Kooks, Franz Ferdinand and Public Enemy to the stage. The festival is also riddled with non-music events and activities that wouldn't go awry on an episode of an MTV reality show, and offers both camping and nearby hotel accommodation. 

World Buskers Festival
Not just a music festival, this annual event, held in Christchurch in late January every year, features 450 live busking shows from a wide range of performers. Comedy, dance and aerobatics for audiences of all ages (watch out for the late night R18 shows!) are a treat for all Cantabrians and visitors to the central city over a 10 day period. Many shows are free or require just a small donation, and often performers will have several sets over the festival so you can go along again to the acts you love.

Cuba St Carnival
This Wellington event, held at the end of February each year, is a celebration of the alternative culture that Wellington is famous for. When the Cuba St Carnival, modeled after the famous Carnival of Rio De Janiero, began in 1999, it pulled in an audience of 15,000. Today is brings in ten times that many people and is a true gala delivering examples of Kiwi diversity, colour, music and performance. It is highly recommended you come in costume and add to the colourful flavour of the event - then spend the day in awe of parades, gigs and shows like you've never seen before.

Jazz Festivals
New Zealand is privy to several Jazz festivals throughout the summer months. Starting in October with the Queenstown Jazz Festival (a 10 day event of international and local talent), Jazz festivals are held in New Zealand in Nelson (January), Wellington (March) and Tauranga (April), finishing off with the International Jazz Festival in Christchurch (mid to late April). Many of these events feature Grammy award winning performers, and acclaimed acts to please any smooth music lover.

For more information about music events in New Zealand, check out the NZS.com directory.

Do you want to write for NZS.com, New Zealand's top Web directory? We are looking for New Zealand writers for our unique new article writing program - whereby you can write and submit articles for our website, and you will earn 50% of the revenue from the advertising on your article's page. Check out the Article Authors homepage to apply now!

Seasons and Celebrations images from Flickr: Kipchoge, Tool and Big Day Out.