Moses Lahauli and wife Lavinia Williams perform Aint No Mountain (Ashford & Simpson, Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell version) at the Rotorua Lakeside Concert on March 22, 2025. Photo / Aleyna Martinez
The music was funky, the crowd came ready to boogie, the fireworks were big and the bubble tea was flowing.
Saturday’s free annual Rotorua Lakeside Concert proved it is still a staple for families with organisers estimating more than 17,000 people filled the Village Green.
This year’s theme was Funkyside – Gettin’ in the Groove and the musical guests had people up and dancing through the night, right next to the stage or where they’d set out picnic blankets or tents further back.
The concert has been run since 1997 by the Rotorua Lakeside Concert Trust.
Founder Ian Edward said it was “a wonderful time to celebrate all that is good about our city”.
“It’s very gratifying to see that after all these years the event holds a special place in the hearts of our local people.”
Edward was back on Sunday to watch He Puna Aroha - Te Arawa Kapa Haka Celebration on the Lakeside stage.
The six kapa haka groups that represented Te Arawa at national competition Te Matatini 2025 in Taranaki - including champions Ngāti Whakaue - performed their sets for their home crowd.
Edward said the performances were “electrifying” and sharing the stage made for “an amazing double-header weekend” of events.
Trust chairman Alex Wilson thanked the Lakeside sponsors for allowing them to deliver the free event celebrating Māori, classical and popular music.
“It was great to see the community turn out and see the smiles on people’s faces and see them up and dancing as well,” Wilson said.
This year’s event was curated by musical director Dixon Nacey and hosted by singer Stella Maris.
Kapa haka group, Te Hekenga ā Rangi welcomed artists and audiences.
The 2025 Lakeside Choir, made up of musical students from Rotorua Boys’ High School and Rotorua Girls’ High School, was directed by Elisha Fa’i-So’oialo, supported by staff from the schools.
Kiwi music legend, Annie Crummer had the choir singing back up on stage for her set, starting with her original song, Language.
A group of Year 10 and 11 students from Rotorua Lakes High School and Rotorua Girls’ High School said they loved attending the event and had been coming since primary school.
Rotorua musicians and long-time friends Wayne Pirihi and Peri Grant have been attending Lakeside for many years.
“We looked forward to the music tonight, us being musos, we’re looking at whatever’s going on on stage,” said Pirihi, a guitarist.
They had performed solo in the past and played together in Rotorua’s Awhina Muso-Club.
“I missed last year, but I usually always come here,” said Grant, a harmonica player from Ōkere Falls whose stage name was Pāpā Peri.
A wide variety of food stalls made it easy for whānau to enjoy the music and feed hungry mouths.
The stalls had a steady flow of business on the night, and the crowd favourite looked to be the bubble tea truck.
The owner of Teariffic Bubble Milk Tea, Chris Senerpida, closed his Rotorua CBD store to bring his food truck to the concert.
Senerpida, from the Philippines, said they opened at 5pm for the pre-show and did not stop serving until the show wrapped.
“We sold out of boaba [bubbles] and only stopped at 9.45pm.
“We really appreciate all the support tonight,” he said.
Francesco Leticia from Tauranga runs The Italians Street Food & Catering business and said business was a bit slow compared to the Rotorua Night Markets.
He said the business opened less than a year ago.
“This was the first concert I have worked so I was not sure what to expect,” he said.
First-half highlights included Anna Grahame’s awe-inspiring rendition of A Night in Tunisia composed by Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie.
Newcomer Baedyn Kiore, a former Rotorua Boys' High student, got the crowd up with a cover of Larry Troutman’s Doo Wa Ditty (Blow That Thing).
Lavinia Williams moved the crowd with Aretha Franklin’s Natural Woman.
Announcers commented the crowd was “well-behaved” during the interval, as children played and parents sat back enjoying the warm evening and good vibes.
The annual memorial video honoured people who had died in the year to date, backed by live performances by Andra Day, Verity Howells, The Lakeside Choir and Russell Harrison.
Youth from the Lakeside Choir beamed with smiles and joy as they stood again with Crummer for one the tracks she’s known for, Melting Pot.
Another crowd favourite included Man’s Man’s World by James Brown & Pavarotti, sung to Rotorua by Harrison and Emmanuel Fonoti Fuimaonoeugen.
The grand finale brought artists on stage to cover Get Lucky by Pharrell & Daft Punk.
The show ended, as is tradition, with spectacular fireworks lighting up the night as all the performers, including house band, Funkiside Musicians, took their last bow.
All proceeds from this year’s gold coin donation would go to Dementia Lakes.
A police spokeswoman said some “disorderly youths” were escorted home from the event but generally people were well-behaved.
Aleyna Martinez is a multimedia journalist based in the Bay of Plenty. She moved to the region in 2024 and has previously reported in Wairarapa and at Pacific Media Network.