Campbell Smith says Beck was supposed to on the bill at this weekend's Auckland City Limits festival, but "we couldn't make it work".

Booker and Pulitzer Prize-winning authors and standout New Zealand writers are lined up for the Auckland Writers Festival.

Brass Poppies may be a chamber opera, but its 70 minutes achieved the vision and the resonances that one might not find in a piece twice its length.

The skies above Carterton were a riot of colour as participants from New Zealand and around the world took to the air for the 2016 Wairarapa Balloon Festival, which wrapped up on Monday.

The British rockers - consisting of Matt Bellamy, Chris Wolstenholme and Dominic Howard - will play the Friday night of the festival in Somerset, England, later this year.

Where else can you watch 150 hand-picked amateur dancers, aged 10-75 and trained by a French-Canadian choreographer, bust a move in public?

Two major music festivals are expected to be basking in sun as Splore and Raggamuffin kick off the weekend's musical activities.

Continuing to add to the attractions of music, great food, and kids activities, Auckland City Limits has now announced its artwork programme for the festival on Saturday, March 19 at Western Springs.

Auckland City Limits announces a new facet to the festival today: Auckland Kiddie Limits.

Follow all the action from today's Laneway music festival in Auckland with as many reviews as Chris Schulz, Rachel Bache and Amy Shanks can muster.

A Laneway act has pulled out of his performance just hours before the Auckland festival was due to begin.

Five artists worth checking out at this year's Laneway Festival.

Chris Schulz tries to track down mysterious musical pixie Grimes ahead of her Laneway appearance.

Purity Ring's gloomy grind now comes with dance moves. They tell Chris Schulz why.

It's the music that matters, says flamboyant artist.

It's got a star-studded guest list, exclusive parties and plenty of fine filmmaking: we wish we were at Sundance right now.

This festival is in Christchurch's Hagley Park this week. In Auckland it will be in locations around the waterfront.

Australian dance act Flume will be the final act to perform at this year's Laneway festival, today's timetable release confirms.

The Rhythm and Vines festival kicked off in Gisborne yesterday with major changes to alcohol policy after riots broke out last year.

Festival-goers are packing into the Rhythm and Vines site, getting ready for the rural New Year festival.

Arriving at Splore, it's easy to pick out the veterans of this three-day arts and music festival.

Rapping and partying, partying and rapping. After a tough few years, Mac Miller is living the dream. He talks to Chris Schulz.

One of the failed Echo Festival's acts, Disclosure, is still coming to Auckland to play a DJ set.

The big day out for bogans is back, with a new look and its third new location in as many years.

The summer season's off to a bumpy start with the cancellation of two festivals. Lydia Jenkin investigates the state of the industry and what it takes to succeed.

Pasifika beats, arts, culture and talent will be seen and heard around Auckland over the next two weeks during the Urbanesia festival, which starts today.

A new music festival was on shakey ground but the director of Echo Festival says it can be just as good in Auckland. Paxon Talbot talks to Chris Schulz.

Splore has added its biggest name yet to the bill for its summer-friendly February festival.

Auckland City Limits has its own Austin music hero in the line-up with Shakey Graves heading to the festival. He talked to Russell Baillie backstage at Austin City Limits.