The music festival industry is still seeing cutbacks, but the lucky peeps of New Zealand are getting a brand-new international music and arts festival in 2016, inspired by big-name events like Glastonbury and Coachella.
New Zealand’s McLaren Falls Park will host The McLaren Falls Music And Arts Festival in January next year, with a diverse three-day lineup of international and local artists.
Festival director Paxton Talbot says the event will “bring a taste of Glastonbury and Coachella to the Pacific in both the style of the lineup and the approach to the festival site”.
The event is promising “a genre-bending lineup of international and local heavyweights careening between the realms of pop, rock, folk, electronica, psychedelia, blues, soul, hip-hop, world, alternative and beyond”.
“We’ve picked these artists with excellence in mind,” Talbot says. “Bands and performers who, no matter their genre, will be able to speak to any member of the audience on some level, just due to their sheer calibre.”
The McLaren Falls Music And Arts Festival will also feature visual and performing arts, cafes and food stalls, workshops, camping and a glow worm forest. Repeat: A GLOW WORM FOREST.
“We want to bring together people from all ages and walks of life to an event that is culturally rich and inspiring,” Talbot says. “People can relax, they can get wild, they can dance, they can hang back and soak it all in.”
The McLaren Falls Music and Arts Festival will make its debut from the 10th to 12th January, 2016, and aims to attract 10,000 people to the Bay Of Plenty. It’s not quite the six-figure amount we typically see at Glastonbury and Coachella, but it’s a start.
What’s more, given its January dates, the festival could easily share artists with Australia’s New Year festivals such as Falls Festival and Beyond the Valley.
The McLaren Falls Music and Arts Festival 2016 lineup will be announced in August. Catch official dates and ticket details, below.
UPDATE 19/08/15: The 2016 McLaren Valley Festival (formerly known as the McLaren Falls Music and Arts Festival) lineup has now been announced, featuring the likes of Disclosure, The Flaming Lips and Alison Wonderland. Catch the full lineup, below.
Gallery: 12 Glastonbury Acts We Can’t Wait To See At Splendour
McLaren Valley Festival 2016 Lineup
Disclosure
The Flaming Lips
Alison Wonderland
Kurt Vile & The Violators
The Preatures
The Chills
David Dallas & The Daylight Robbery
The Datsuns
Young Fathers
C.W Stoneking
The Phoenix Foundation
Avalanche City
Marlon Williams & The Yarra Benders
The Eastern
Tiny Ruins
P-Money
Racing
Jordan Leser
Fazerdaze
Arthur Ahbez
+ more to be announced
McLaren Valley Festival 2016
Tickets on sale Monday, 24th August 2015
10th – 12th January 2016
McLaren Falls Park, Near Tauranga (New Zealand)
Tickets: McLaren Valley Festival
12 Glastonbury Acts We’re Looking Forward To Seeing At Splendour
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Mark Ronson Glasto 2
Mark Ronson: Mr Ronson has been Uptown Funkin' it up all over the place, and his Glastonbury 2015 set featuring Tame Impala's Kevin Parker, Grandmaster Flash and Mary J. Blige was full of funky goodness. Can't wait to see how he brings the funk to Splendour. -
Everything Everything Glasto
Everything Everything: The British indie outfit are no strangers to Splendour and they already have a handful of sideshows lined up. They used Glastonbury to test out a bunch of tunes from their new album 'Get to Heaven'. It's all looking very positive positive. -
Years and Years
Years & Years: The British trio drew such a huge crowd at Glastonbury that some punters were locked out of an overflowing tent stage -- a very good omen for their upcoming Splendour set and sideshows. -
Wolf Alice
Wolf Alice: The North London band crowd-surfed in the rain at this year's Glastonbury, proving once again that they know how to ride good festival vibes in any weather. -
Palma Violets
Palma Violets: The band played Splendour in 2013, and this time around they're teaming up with fellow Glastonbury 2015 act The Vaccines for some Splendour sideshows. What more could you ask for? -
Ryan Adams Glasto
Ryan Adams: The alt-country muso played a lengthy Glastonbury set over the weekend, and closed it with his cover of Oasis' 'Wonderwall'. What's more, his Splendour tour will include a solo Sydney Opera House show and sideshow dates with Jenny Lewis. -
Death Cab Glasto
Death Cab For Cutie: Ben Gibbard and co. have now made their Glastonbury debut, but it's been nine years since they played Splendour. The band's Nick Harmer has said to expect "things we haven’t even attempted before, both in old and new songs" this time around. -
Catfish Glasto
Catfish And The Bottlemen: The Welsh band soldiered on after the Glastonbury rain played havoc with their gear, with frontman Van McCann performing despite recently suffering from food poisoning. That's true festival dedication right there. -
Kevin Parker Glasto
Kevin Parker: The Tame Impala frontman joined Mark Ronson on stage at Glastonbury to perform their collab tracks, 'Daffodils' and 'Summer Breaking'. Parker will be at Splendour 2015 with Tame Impala, but there's a definite chance of another team-up with old mate Ronson. -
Circa Waves Glasto
Circa Waves: The Liverpool band played two sets at Glastonbury this year (one was supposed to be secret), proving they've got energy to burn. The group are sure to go all out at Splendour this year, with four sideshows also lined up with The Wombats. And who knows, maybe another not-so-secret set somewhere in-between? -
Florence Glasto 2
Florence + The Machine: During their stunning headline set, Florence Welch and her crew honoured Foo Fighters -- the band they replaced on top of the Glasto bill -- by covering their song, 'Times Like These'. Welch didn't break any bones either, so she's looking fit as a fiddle for Splendour 2015. -
Azealia Glasto
Azealia Banks: The rapper cancelled her Glastonbury 2015 set after a doctor told her to rest her voice, leaving her feeling "like crap", so hopefully she's at full health when Splendour rolls around. Remember: Even a short Azealia Banks set is better than no Azealia Banks set.
