Sounds Unheard
News Writer Martha has done a run down of all of our summer festivals, unfortunately, she got too carried away and overdid the word count. Check out the first one below, and read the rest by scanning the QR code at the bottom of this article.
Everyone knows about Laneway, has been stuck in the mud at R&V, or has missed out on a ticket for Electric Ave in the online queue. If you’re real hard-core, you might even have been a part of the annual Wellingtonian migration down to Twisted. But what about all the festivals happening this summer that you haven’t heard about yet? Luckily, the independent festival scene in Aotearoa is alive and well, and these top picks have got you covered.
North Island
Festival: Matakanarama
Date: 29th - 31st December, 2026
Location: The Hill, Matakana.
Vibe: Chill small town three day camping festival with a focus on fun, live music, good community, and touching grass.
Line-up: AROHA, ASHEZ, Bella Claxton, Christopher Tubbs, DOCJOC, Flamingo Pier, Fletchy Boy, GiGi, Kumi, Lady Shaka, MESSIE, Mikeyy, PARK RD, Ruby Du, There’s a Tuesday, Troy Kingi, Young Gho$t, yung singh, Yurt Party.
Cost: Third release tickets $201 - $328 depending on how many days you go. Camping passes an additional $53 - $85.
Festival: Kiwiburn
Date: 27th January – 1st February, 2027
Location: The Paddock, Hunterville.
Vibe: Aotearoa’s very own Burning Man festival, where all acts and activities are provided by the attendees themselves. A sort of social experiment where no money is exchanged for the five day festival and everything is volunteer run.
Line-up: There are no paid performers at the event, acts are entirely contribution based.
Cost: $250
Festival: Rock the Bowl
Date: 29th December 2026
Location: Bowl of Brooklands, New Plymouth.
Vibe: A single day festival with a fantastic line-up in Taranaki, offering lots of road trip potential between the mountains and the sea.
Line-up: Fat Freddy's Drop, Ocean Alley, Carl Cox, No Cigar, Coast Arcade.
Cost: Starting at $171 (Third Release)
South Island
Festival: Lakes Festival
Date: 28th December, 2026
Location: Hagley Park, Christchurch.
Vibe: A single day DJ heavy South Island exclusive line up that operates across three separate stages and provides ten hours of immersive electronic music.
Line-up: Netsky, Armand Van Helden, Mall Grab, Oppidan, X CLUB, Break, Dean Turnley, DJ ZINC, Ladi6, LENS, Rova, Sin & Brook.
Cost: $199 (Third release)
Festival: Oasis Festival 2027
Date: 5th – 8th February, 2027
Location: Cobb Valley, Tākaka.
Vibe: Comparable to Twisted Frequency, Oasis has a river, collaborative art mural, workshops, fire spinning, interactive games, and visual light projections galore, as well as live and electronic music.
Line-up: To be announced. Genres like Bass, DnB, Dubs, Jungle, Halftime, Rollers, House/Tech House, Techno/Psytech, Bush Prog/Dark Prog, Psytrance, Hip Hop, and more!
Cost: From $200 (First Release)
Festival: Wānaka Summer Concert
Date: 30th January, 2027
Location: Three Parks Outdoor Arena, Wānaka.
Vibe: Iconic line-up in an iconic place that your parents would probably enjoy too. The same line-up will play in Taupō on Sunday 31st January, if you can’t make it in Wānnies.
Line-up: Seal, Bastille, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Level 42.
Cost: From $186 (First Release)
And don’t forget! Smaller festivals like these tend to have more volunteer opportunities that can get you your ticket free or heavily discounted. You can enquire with each company separately. Happy summering!!
