Tauranga's Busiest Summer of Music

This summer is shaping up to be one of the busiest yet with more acts than ever choosing to perform in Tauranga.

Following the ongoing success of local, home-grown music events such as One Love and Bay Dreams, Tauranga is becoming an increasingly popular concert and festival destination.  Some of the highlights of this year’s summer calendar are Cold Chisel, holding its only NZ concert, as well as Fat Freddy’s Drop returning to Wharepai Domain and a series of other international and local artists at Soper Reserve, including Ziggy Alberts, Drax Project, Gin Wigmore and Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals. Trustpower Baypark is also seeing some great acts such as Sticky Fingers and Tones and I.

General Manager of Community Services at Tauranga City Council, Gareth Wallis said, “We’re now beginning to see some of the world’s leading event promoters choose Tauranga to host their live events, alongside stalwart local and national promoters already delivering a great range of events here. This is terrific for the city as it continues to encourage residents and visitors to get out and enjoy Tauranga’s fantastic venues and by extension, our great retail stores, activities, accommodation and culinary delights.

“With our warm climate, popular facilities and award-winning beaches, there are plenty of reasons to choose Tauranga to host or attend an event. We hope everyone who comes to visit over the summer months enjoys their time here and we look forward to welcoming them back again to explore all that our coastal city has to offer.” 

But it’s not just music set to sweep through the city, last month, Tauranga hosted its inaugural Test match at Bay Oval with the BLACKCAPS victorious over 2019 Cricket World Cup winners, England. The BLACKCAPS will be back on Sunday, 2 Feb 2020 as they take on India in a T20 match, preceded by the WHITE FERNS vs. South Africa earlier that afternoon.

Tauranga City Council’s Events team work closely with event organisers to support Tauranga’s growing reputation as a premier events destination, through funding support and facilitation services. This financial year, the City Events team will have facilitated more than 300 events on public open space and over 70 events will receive financial support through Council’s Event Funding Framework.

Some of the events during the 2020 summer are:

• Bay Dreams Pre-Party – 1 January, Mount Maunganui
• Bay Dreams – 2 January, Mount Maunganui
• Dinner in the Domain – 2 January, Papamoa
• Gourmet Night Markets – 3 January, Mount Maunganui
• Sticky Fingers – 3 January, Mount Maunganui
• Water polo on the Waterfront – 3 to 4 January, Tauranga
• Ziggy Alberts - 3 January, Mount Maunganui
• Little Big Markets – 4 January, Mount Manganui
• Fat Freddy’s Drop – 4 January, Tauranga
• More FM Beach Dig – 4 January, Mount Maunganui
• Mount Farmers Market – 5 January, Mount Maunganui
• Drax Project – 5 January, Tauranga
• Tones and I – 5 January, Tauranga
• Sikh Community Street Parade – 5 January, Tauranga
• Gin Wigmore – 7 January, Mount Maunganui
• Mount Festival of Multisport – 10 to 11 January, Mount Maunganui
• One Love Festival – 25 to 26 January, Tauranga
• BLACKCAPS Vs India T20 – 2 February, Mount Maunganui
• Cold Chisel – 5 February, Tauranga
• Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals – 29 February, Mount Maunganui
• BLACKCAPS Vs India ODI – 11 February, Mount Maunganui
• NZ Cricket International ODIs – 2 and 11 February, Mount Maunganui