Lakeside 2024 Rotorua: Popular free outdoor concert to return in February

The date is set and the preparations have started for next year’s annual Lakeside concert in Rotorua.

Lakeside 2024 - Reimagine will be held on Saturday, February 3 at the Village Green and will end with a fireworks display.

Auckland’s Dixon Nacey has been given the reins as artistic director for a second year in a row to create another free outdoor concert.

Lakeside 2023. Photo / Rotorua Lakeside Charitable Trust

Nacey revealed some of the concert’s line-up at a special function held on Thursday night at the Novotel Rotorua Lakeside for sponsors and supporters.

The Lakeside concerts have brought international, national and local talent to the stage in front of crowds of thousands for more than 25 years.

Nacey, also creative director for the Coca-Cola Christmas in the Park events in Auckland and Christchurch, told the Rotorua Daily Post Weekend next year’s concert would once again be a blend of top acts performing a mix of songs and would also introduce original music from some performers.

He had secured multi-instrumentalist, singer and Silver Scroll Award winner Troy Kingi as one of the three headline performers after Kingi was unable to make this year’s show at late notice due to illness. Nacey will announce the other headline performers in the coming weeks.

Russell Harrison sings at the Lakeside 2024 launch this week. Photo / Andrew Warner

Locals performing included Russell Harrison, Krissie Knap, Nikau Grace, Eden Warmsley and the Rotorua Boys’ High School choir under the guidance of Elisha Fa’i-So’oialo.

Nacey said he had been working with Harrison to create something a little different and he was looking forward to bringing that to the show.

He first worked with Knap in 2019 when he was musical director for Lakeside and said he fell in love with her voice.

“I said to everyone, ‘Who is this singer? She’s amazing’.”

Knap featured in Nacey’s line-up this year and he said he could not do another show without “Aunty Krissie”.

Rotorua Girls' High School singer Nikau Grace. Photo / Waiata Anthems

Grace was another singer he described as an incredible talent.

Nacey was looking forward to seeing Warmsley take the Lakeside stage.

“He’s had an incredible journey in his own personal life and I’m looking forward to sharing some of his original music.”

Nacey said Rotorua choreographer Turanga Merito, who worked with him on the Christmas in the Park shows, would bring together local dancers - and also take the stage to sing a song if Nacey did enough “arm twisting”.

Rotorua Lakeside 2024 Launch at the Novotel Clark's Bar. Photo / Andrew Warner

The artists will be backed by a 20-piece band featuring Rotorua staples Mickey Ututaonga on drums, Richard Anaru on guitar and former local Ernie Semu on keyboards.

Nacey said he had been involved in many shows but there was something about the Lakeside concerts that could not be described.

“The wairua and the spirit of these shows are on another level. I do a lot of shows and very rarely does this happen. I brought a bunch of musos down from Auckland with me this year and they realised what I was talking about and said to me afterwards, ‘If you do that show again, can I come back?’ Rotorua is a special place and it’s insane how well these shows are received.”

This year, the Lakeside Concert Charitable Trust took advantage of the stage being set to showcase Te Arawa’s groups that performed at Te Matatini in a free concert the day after Lakeside.

Members of Multicultural Rotorua, who will perform on Sunday, February 4, the day after the Lakeside concert. Photo / Andrew Warner

Next year, the trust will partner with the Rotorua Multicultural Council to utilise Lakeside’s staging infrastructure to hold a multicultural concert on Sunday, February 4. The concert will feature acts from across a range of local ethnicities and cultures and the Rotorua Night Market stalls will operate nearby from 11am to 3pm.

Meanwhile, the trust said in a statement that concert founder and trust chairman Ian Edward had stepped down from his role in May after more than 25 years’ service. However, Edward agreed to stay on the board of trustees in the position of patron to “continue to provide the trust with his extensive knowledge and experience”.

Alex Wilson has now moved into the position of trust chairman.

Rotorua Lakeside Charitable Trust trustees Rawiri Waru (left), Darlene Thomas, David Jones, Ian Edward, Alex Wilson, Tania Tapsell, Kaycie O'Connor and Trevor Maxwell. Photo / Andrew Warner

Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.