What are the best festivals for exiled Splore fans this summer?

The popular festival is taking a break for a year. Here are your other options.

Splore is one of Aotearoa’s iconic summer festivals. The event, which started twenty years ago, has become one of our biggest events showcasing art, performance and good experience. In recent years this has been an annual fixture, but Splore announced following this year’s event that they would be taking a gap year for 2025.

So what are your options if you still need festival arrangements this summer? Which festivals have similar qualities to Splore: nice culture, great music, lots of art, but also not so big that they lose the community atmosphere?

I have DJed and gone to festivals for decades and promoted New Zealand festivals as an untapped tourism opportunity. (I also disclose that I am part of the marketing team at the AUM festival.) Here are my picks for festivals for summer 2024/25 that meet the ‘Splore-like’ criteria and are all locally owned and run by passionate creatives.

AUM New Year Festival (three nights, 30 December-2 January) – South Head, Auckland

AUM is held over three nights/four days at South Head near Parakai in a breathtaking forest location where wild deer can be seen roaming.

Four stages, each showcasing different styles of music, showcase unrivaled decor, visuals, light and sound to create some of the most magical outdoor dance environments seen in Aotearoa. More than 100 local and foreign musical artists take the stage every year.

AUM features a wealth of live artistry, performers, and shows featuring aerial artists, jugglers, comedians, and more. Workshops are also offered, with a full program of activities including yoga, meditation and family-friendly art, as well as a live Suzy Cato production.

AUM is renowned for its friendly and inclusive atmosphere, making it popular with international visitors. Because the festival area is so large, camping is quite comfortable and the sandy coastal land is almost flood-proof when it rains. General amenities are also first class.

Twisted Frequency Festival (four nights, 30 December-3 January) – Tākaka, Tasman District

Twisted Frequency is held alongside a spectacular river in Kahurangi National Park in the Tasman Region.

There are four music stages that operate non-stop for four days, showcasing a wide variety of musical styles. This passion for music has made Twisted Frequency the South Island’s longest-running underground music festival over the New Year, with this year being its 10th edition.

Twisted Frequency has built a diverse community, and their support of music throughout the year through other events adds to the New Year with live art installations, performances and visual wizardry. They promote festivals as transformative experiences and have long been leaders in festival sustainability.

Dimension (three nights, January 31-February 3) – Nukutawhiti, Northland

Dimension is the summer festival version of a mid-1990s craze. It is held in a very remote northern region, an hour inland from Whangārei. It has multiple stages with a strong psychedelic trance focus, but some also feature drum and bass, techno, and progressive house.

The festival area is located in a valley with a river passing by, and it turns into a popular meeting point with people swimming and sunbathing every day. The campsites are tree-lined and well organized and just a short walk from all stages.

Dimension has amazing sound systems and visuals, and the music plays non-stop for three days and nights, so it’s a party whenever you want it.

Rhythm and Alps (two nights, 30-31 December) – Cardrona Valley, Otago

Rhythm and the Alps is one of Aotearoa’s biggest New Year festivals, held under the watchful eye of Mount Cardrona. Smoothly straddling the line between commercial and underground sounds, R&A features a wide range of music from DJs and bands. There is a mix of international and local artists performing on four stages, so there’s something for everyone.

One of the strong elements of R&D is a respectful crowd and environment. While it’s a generally young crowd, it lacks the drunken, aggressive nature of other commercial events. There are fairground rides, fully licensed, and plenty of the expected food and other vendors.

Shipwreck (two nights, 7-9 February) – Te Āria, Auckland

Shipwrecked is a nautical-themed festival held over a weekend near Te Āria, north of Auckland (near Warkworth). There is a strong house and techno bias to its main music offering, but it also has other scenes for tropical/disco and bass/drum and bass.

Some of New Zealand’s best house and techno artists are regulars at Shipwrecked, and the pirate-chic aesthetic is endearing and the whole crew gets into it. The Humming Hut stage suspended above the swimming lake is a special sunset delight.

It requires some walking to get to and from the campsite, but the conversations along the way are always worth it.

Earth Beat Festival (four nights, 19-23 March) – Ātiu Creek Regional Park, Auckland

Earth Beat is the daytime event with the busiest of these festival options. Music features at various stages, but the main events taking place over the five days are a healthy mix of workshops, lectures and panel discussions, ranging from spiritual knowledge to crafts.

Earth Beat, where co-creation and transformation are strong themes, is the most healthy-life-oriented among these festivals. They promote themselves as a place for the exchange of knowledge, skills and meaning, and there is a lovely community built around Earth Beat, holding events throughout the year.

There’s also a busy marketplace with vendors offering everything from artisanal crafts to herbal medicines to healing services like massage and shamanic healing.

Golden Valley (two nights, February 21-23) – Waihi

Golden Valley is a new festival near Waihi that promises a niche experience in a spectacular setting. Featuring some of New Zealand’s niche electronic acts and DJs (yet to be announced), it caters firmly to lovers of house and melodic techno. It is staged by long-time promoter LO-FI Productions; so you can expect a unique combination of engaging visuals, artwork and an intimate gathering.

“Imagine the perfect Kiwi camping trip with your friends, with the best festival experience on offer,” says LO-FI. If you’re into a non-commercial, eclectic brand of house and techno, Golden Valley should be a fun experience.