The Laneway and Lantern Festivals have outgrown their sites and may move to the Domain.
The Laneway and Lantern Festivals have outgrown their sites and may move to the Domain.
Domain possible venue but decision needed soon if Laneway and Lantern events are to go ahead next year.
Two of the biggest events on the Auckland calendar, the Lantern Festival and Laneway Festival, could move to the Domain.
The Lantern Festival has outgrown Albert Park with up to 200,000 visitors and the Laneway Festival is in the path of development at Wynyard Quarter.
A council report has suggestedthe Domain as a new home for the events, but one council leader is opposed to the public park and home of the Auckland War Memorial Museum being fenced off for a commercial event such as the Laneway Festival.
Waitemata Local Board chairman Shale Chambers said the Domain had been closed to the public only twice for fireworks displays as part of the Auckland Arts Festival, but would make a perfect home for the Lantern Festival, a free public event.
The Lantern Festival has been held at Albert Park since 2000 and has become one of the city's biggest and most popular cultural events. But it has become a victim of its own success with large night-time crowds cramming into the park and resulting traffic problems.
Silo Park at Wynyard Quarter is the third venue for the Laneway Festival after Britomart in 2010 and Aotea Square in 2011. It is now the country's largest urban music festival.
About 12,000 people attended the 2014 event, but organisers must find a new home as work starts on the first residential development at Wynyard Quarter.
The organisers of both festivals could not be reached for comment last night. A report going to the Auckland Domain committee today said decisions on these two events are urgent if they are to go ahead next year.
The report said the Domain was suited to meet a growing demand for city-based events, but the planning rules permitted only three large-scale events.
They included Christmas in the Park and the Auckland Arts Festival, suggesting only one further large-scale event could be held.
The Domain has 19 artificial wickets, making it the largest and most used cricket ground in Auckland.
The Lantern Festival at Albert Park in central Auckland.
It is also heavily used by football over summer and by rugby, football and league during winter.
