Held over three nights and four days, and drawing a crowd of 25,000 people, Parachute is also the Southern Hemisphere's largest Christian music festival. This year's international headliners include Nashville worship band Casting Crowns, Ohio punk poppers Reliant K, Florida anthemic rockers The Almost, and Texan one-man-band The Rocket Summer, as well as local heroes Avalanche City, Vince Harder and The Parachute Band.
Summer Sunday
When: January 29
Where: Music Mountain Matakana
Tickets: www.1-night.co.nz
With the tag line "sustainable good times", new summer festival Tuborg Summer Sunday is all about combining the pleasures of lush New Zealand landscape with a great line up of feel-good local music. Held at Matakana, north of Auckland, the day-long festival's line-up includes Kora, a reunited Fly My Pretties, Little Bushman, Tahuna Breaks, The Nudge, Electric Wire Hustle, AHoriBuzz and @Peace.
Splore
When: February 17-19
Where: Tapapakanga Regional Park, Auckland
Tickets: www.1-night.co.nz
Info: www.splore.net
The most colourful and aesthetically pleasing festival on New Zealand's calendar, Splore may be rooted in a hippie ethos, but it's about the entertainment too. The 50-strong line-up this year includes international acts Erykah Badu, Earl Gateshead, Hudson Mohawke, Gappy Ranks and Soul II Soul. The event also features works by 18 artists commissioned to enhance the beauty of venue Tapapakanga Park, which is on the water's edge - you can swim and watch bands at the same time, and there is cabaret, circus and acrobatic performances and stuff for kids.
Homegrown
When: February 18
Where: Wellington Waterfront
Tickets: www.ticketek.co.nz
Info: www.homegrown.net.nz
Take 17,000 people, checking out over 40 of our best local acts, spread across five stages on Wellington Waterfront and you get one heck of a party. The music is divided between five genre stages, with this year's line-up including Shihad, The Checks, Fat Freddy's Drop, Six60, David Dallas, Home Brew, Kids of 88, The Adults, Tiki Taane and more.
Bloom Family Festival
When: January 20-22
Where: Matakana Country Park
Tickets: www.iticket.co.nz
Info: www.bloomfamilyfestival.co.nz
This new three-day festival is aimed at being fun for the whole family with a line-up of 20-plus local artists (including Ladi6, Greg Johnson, and Sola Rosa) as well as workshops, sports sessions, farmers markets, and a sculpture trail. Kids are also spoilt for choice with a funky fairground, sports village, Old McDonald's Farm, a circus show, horse arena, storytellers and more.
-TimeOut
