Electric Avenue 2023: Lorde, Flume to headline NZ's biggest music festival

Lorde is heading back to New Zealand to perform at Electric Avenue. Photo / AP

Electric Avenue is returning to Christchurch's Hagley Park in 2023 - and Lorde herself is coming back to New Zealand to headline the festival.

The Grammy-winning artist is just one of several big names set to entertain Kiwi crowds at Aotearoa's biggest music festival on February 25 next year.

Alongside Lorde, Flume will also perform for crowds expected to number over 30,000 in Christchurch in 2023.

Music heavyweights Lorde and Flume will entertain an expected crowd of over 30,000 people on 25 February in Christchurch's Hagley Park. Photo / Alannah Groves

Kiwi star acts Fat Freddy's Drop, L.A.B., Teeks and Supergroove will also perform, as well as international artists like Future Islands and Peking Duk.

Around 50 artists will perform across five different stages, including a temporary indoor arena with a capacity of 100,000.

Dance music phenomenon Synthony will also be making its festival debut, with another British drum and bass headliner to be announced in November.

It comes after festival promoters were forced to cancel the event earlier this year due to Covid-19 restrictions.

50 artists will be performing across five stages including a new 10,000-capacity temporary indoor arena. Photo /Alannah Groves

This year's event was originally set to take place on February 26, but was cancelled in January following the move into the red traffic light setting of the Covid-19 Protection Framework.

It was on the verge of selling out, with over 90 per cent of tickets having already been sold.

And organisers are expecting a turnout of 30,000 to return this year.

Festival director Callam Mitchell says this year's line-up, marking the eighth time the festival has been held, is its "strongest" to date.

"It's a real privilege to be able to have artists of the calibre of Lorde and Flume on the programme."

Electric Avenue organisers are expecting 30,000 people to attend. Photo / George Heard

Mitchell says the musical diversity of the festival is one of the biggest reasons for its appeal.

"We started out with 8000 people at our first Electric Avenue in 2015 so it's pretty special to be hosting 30,000 people dancing to 50 artists over 12 hours in the most amazing central city park that this country has.

"Quality music is quality music whether its soul, drum & bass, rock, techno or hip hop as far as we're concerned, and we've never tied ourselves to a particular style or genre."