New Zealand's Splore Festival Ends After 2026 Edition

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New Zealand's Splore festival closes after 28 years

Splore, the three-day boutique music and arts festival held at Tāpapakanga Regional Park southeast of Auckland, will close after its February 20–22, 2026 edition. The event—first staged as a clifftop New Year's Eve party at Karioitahi Beach in 1998—has operated for 28 years, making it New Zealand's longest-running music festival. Director John Minty, who has overseen the event since 2006, confirmed the decision follows unsuccessful attempts to secure government major-events funding after sluggish 2024 ticket sales. (Original source)

The 2026 lineup includes François K, Nightmares on Wax, General Levy, C.FRIM and Manuka Honey. (Splore - 20 top moments over 20 years - NZ Herald) Splore became the first Aotearoa festival to earn Toitū carbonzero certification in 2021 and operates with annual costs around NZ$3 million, 90% of which flows back to New Zealand businesses. The event takes place on Ngāti Whanaunga and Ngāti Paoa ancestral land, with an Iwi-led cultural programme anchoring each edition.

Lineup, sustainability model and Tāpapakanga site details

The 2026 lineup features C.FRIM, François K, General Levy, Manuka Honey and Nightmares on Wax across multiple stages at Tāpapakanga Regional Park, roughly 65 km southeast of Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland. (Splore could have been saved | The Spinoff) The site's signature beach stage allows audiences to watch performances while standing in the surf, a configuration that has become central to Splore's identity. Beyond music, the festival delivers art trails, wellness workshops and interactive installations, positioning itself as an immersive gathering rather than a concert series.

Mana whenua Ngāti Whanaunga and Ngāti Paoa open each edition with a pōwhiri and lead the Whare Tapere cultural programme. Splore hand-sorts all onsite waste, has eliminated most single-use plastics and actively audits greenhouse gas emissions, maintaining its status as Aotearoa's only carbonzero-certified festival. The camping-friendly format offers free entry for children and encourages costumed participation, reinforcing a family-oriented, community-anchored ethos that distinguishes it from alcohol- and sponsorship-heavy models.

Why independent festivals struggle despite cultural impact

Splore's NZ$240,000 funding request to the government's major-events programme was refused, a decision that underscores how public subsidy channels prioritise stadium-scale international acts over grassroots institutions with proven cultural infrastructure. The festival avoided corporate sponsorship and heavy alcohol revenue, choosing instead to rely on ticket sales and a diversified programme that combined cabaret, visual art and wellness offerings alongside music—a model that becomes commercially brittle when attendance softens.

Sources

• Original source
• Splore - 20 top moments over 20 years - NZ Herald (2019-02-01)
• Splore could have been saved | The Spinoff (2025-12-23)
• Splore Festival (2025-10-28)
• Splore festival | Arts festivals | Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand
• What happened to New Zealand's 'great lost music festival'? (2026-01-07)

How we reported this

We reviewed the original coverage from RANews and cross-checked key details against the sources above. If something is unclear or changes after publication, we’ll update this post.

About the author

Tom Rander — Tom Rander is a journalist and electronic music specialist who has spent years documenting the intersection of club culture and technical innovation. With a background rooted in both the booth and the press room, Tom founded Rander.io to provide a more rigorous, expertise-driven alternative to mainstream music blogs.