Laneway is one of the final events in New Zealand's summer festival calendar. Photo / Laneway Festival
Laneway is one of the final events in New Zealand's summer festival calendar. Photo / Laneway Festival
THREE KEY FACTS
Laneway Festival is no longer able to host under-18s at its 2025 event after its application was rejected by Auckland District Licensing Committee.
The festival hosted 16- and 17-year-old fans in 2024 by setting up designated alcohol-free zones.
Under-18s have slammed the decision as “unfair”, with many now out of pocket after paying for flights and accommodation.
The dream of fulfilling a “Brat summer” fantasy in February is sadly no longer for under-18s, with Auckland’s Laneway Festival confirming 16- and 17-year-old ticket-holders are no longer able to attend.
Ticket-holders under the age of 18 are no longer able to attendthe highly anticipated Laneway Festival in February following a decision from Auckland District Licensing Committee, which many have branded “unfair” and “ridiculous”.
The decision comes after tickets had already been sold, leaving some punters “heartbroken”.
The annual festival, set to be held on February 6 at Auckland’s Western Springs Stadium, was able to accommodate 16- and 17-year-old fans at its 2024 event earlier this year with designated alcohol-free zones.
But in a statement issued to social media on Friday morning, organisers of the festival confirmed that will no longer be the case in 2025, with the Auckland District Licensing Committee rejecting its application to allow under-18s at the event.
“We have some unfortunate news to share. Despite the safe and successful inclusion of 16+ patrons at Laneway Festival 2024, the Auckland District Licensing Committee has rejected our application to allow 16- and 17-year-olds at our 2025 event,” the organisers said in a statement to Laneway Festival NZ’s Instagram and X accounts.
“We worked closely with Police, Alcohol Licensing Inspectors and the Medical Officer of Health in good faith throughout the application process and did not anticipate this disappointing outcome. We were looking forward to providing younger audiences with the opportunity to access great live music and are truly sorry this won’t be possible at the 2025 event.”
Ticketek will be issuing refunds to all under-18 ticket-holders, which will be processed between January 6 and January 18 due to the shutdown period.
“We’re incredibly grateful for your understanding, and we hope to welcome you to future Laneway Festival events,” the statement concluded.
The Herald has contacted Laneway Festival for further comment.
The Ticketek page for Laneway Festival 2025 now displays a message that the event is 18+. Photo / Ticketek
‘Heartbroken’
The response to the decision has been mixed. While punters aged 18 and over have largely welcomed the move, many others – including parents and siblings of under-18s – have castigated organisers for selling the tickets prior to the council’s decision.
“You think you would’ve confirmed this before people bought the 16+ tickets … This was my sister’s birthday gift and she is now heartbroken. Shame on you guys,” one said on Instagram.
“You’d reckon they’d confirm this before we spent hundreds of dollars on flights?” said another.
“People have paid for flights, accommodation, this has been people’s birthdays and Christmas presents, and only releasing this news five days before Christmas!! So ridiculous!! How unfair,” a third declared.
“I wouldn’t have even been fussed if y’all didn’t wait until just over a month from the festival to get this sorted ... like all of us already have flights and accommodation,” a fourth commented.
Others have reacted positively to the news, with one writing: “Honestly a great decision. Y’all can wait two years. It’s not safe at all to have 16-year-olds at a festival like that.”
“Thank god it’s 18+ now,” said a second, followed by praying emojis.
A 17-year-old who spoke to the Herald said he was disappointed that tickets were sold to under-18s when a scenario like this was a possibility.
“We’re all 17 and worked part time jobs in order for us to be able to afford the trip,” he said.
“We’re questioning why they sold tickets not knowing whether they were allowed to have under 18s at the event which seems a bit misleading. We’re now stuck down $300 in flights, as well as $200 in tickets each which won’t be refunded for nearly a month”.
‘Alcohol found in undesignated areas’
The Herald obtained a copy of the District Licensing Committee’s decision on Friday, which outlines the reasons for the festival’s application to host under-18s being declined.
All parties had agreed the “split designation between R18 and undesignated areas did not work well last year”, the document said, noting the over-18 and under-18 zones had “hindered the flow of people throughout the venue”, “was not controlled effectively” and “alcohol was found in the undesignated areas”.
“We do not believe that the applicant’s late offer to consider such a layout so that 16 and 17-year-olds can attend the 2025 festival is the right way to go. We agree that the site should have one designation.”
According to the ruling, 11 people were treated for intoxication by St John staff at Laneway Festival in 2024, although it’s unclear how old the attendees were.
“We agree that 11 people treated for intoxication is a low number. However, it only means that only 11 intoxicated people sought the assistance of St John. We do not know how many other people were intoxicated but did not go to Crowd Care. We suspect, based on the Agencies’ reports, that there were many more intoxicated people in the crowd,” the committee said.
“It is our role to ensure that minors are not exposed to alcohol-related harm.
“Given our concerns about security and the occurrence of preloading, in our view the event must remain R18 this year.”
However, the committee acknowledged that if the organisers “manage intoxication well and the Agencies’ post-event reports are positive”, the festival may have a chance at being an R16 event next year.
‘Safety for both parties’
One festival-goer, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Herald he believed the decision to revoke the under-18 tickets was in everyone’s best interest.
He noted that at Laneway earlier this year, some attendees aged 18 and over resorted to “bingeing” their drinks in order to move freely throughout the festival.
“People [won’t have] to binge their drinks in order to move out of the designated drinking spots, slowing down alcohol consumption and smoothing that out,” he said.
“I think also [there’s] safety for both parties involved. If I think about a festival full of people high and intoxicated, and I know if I was under the age of 18, I would be a little on edge.
“Rather than be a cash cow, which I believe the reason for opening it up and moving it to Western Springs was about ... don’t fix something that’s not broken.”
However, he acknowledged it would be frustrating and “disappointing” for under-18s who had spent their hard-earned money on tickets, flights and accommodation.
“I do feel for those younger people as I believe the tickets shouldn’t have been open to them if [the organisers] didn’t have the boxes ticked,” he said.
“People should still come and explore Auckland, the economy needs it. But regardless it’s annoying and disappointing for them and I can empathise with that.
“It’s not life or death, it’s just a s****y situation and you move on.”
‘Heightened level of scrutiny’
In a statement provided to the Herald, organisers said they shared the frustration and disappointment expressed by attendees and wider stakeholders, particularly after successfully welcoming younger guests earlier this year.
“It is apparent that New Zealand’s licensing landscape has evolved in recent months, with a heightened level of scrutiny and responsibility placed on event organisers to address alcohol-related harms,” the statement read.
“While alcohol service has always been a secondary component of Laneway Festival, and despite the absence of any significant issues involving under-18 attendees at the 2024 event, concerns were raised regarding the event’s format—a multi-stage festival operating over 9.5 hours—and its perceived suitability for younger audiences".
The statement said the process of applying for a special licence to hold an event like Laneway was “complex,” and involved multiple stakeholders and lengthy timelines.
“Unfortunately, these timelines do not always align with the operational and marketing requirements of events such as ours.
“Despite initiating engagement as early as possible, and making every effort to comply with the process, we proceeded with our ticket sales timeline based on the precedent set by our successful 2024 event”.
Laneway said it remained committed to fostering “a positive, safe, and vibrant festival experience,” and hoped to continue working with stakeholders to address concerns and find a pathway forward for further under 18 events.
“For those who have already booked travel or accommodation, we recommend seeking refunds or credits where possible, or alternatively, maintaining their plans to visit Auckland and enjoy all the city has to offer”.
Laneway Festival 2025 will be headlined by British hitmaker Charli XCX, who became a social media sensation during the Northern Hemisphere summer with the release of her zeitgeisty album Brat.
The record’s slime-green artwork quickly became the colour of the season, while tracks such as 365, Apple and Girl, so confusing (which later became a remix with New Zealand artist Lorde)dominated TikTok. Other artists on the line-up include Clairo, Beabadoobee, Remi Wolf, Olivia Dean and homegrown talent Vera Ellen.
