This Homegrown to be Wellington’s last with festival set to move city

Monday, 20 January 2025

Lewis de Jong from Alien Weaponry performs at the 2024 Homegrown in Wellington.

The iconic Jim Beam Homegrown festival will say goodbye to Wellington in 2025, after 18 years.

This year’s festival, in March, will mark the final time the event takes place at the Wellington waterfront before moving to a new city in 2026.

Festival director Andrew Tuck expressed mixed emotions about the change.

“For a myriad of personal and logistical reasons, Homegrown is moving cities after this year. We couldn’t be more grateful for the unwavering support we’ve had from fans and the city,” Tuck said.

“The support from WellingtonNZ and Wellington City Council has been massive over the years, so we’re keen to knock this last one out of the park as a heartfelt thank you to Wellington.”

Since it began in 2008, Homegrown has transformed the Wellington waterfront into a celebration of New Zealand music.

Tuck highlighted the unique atmosphere of the waterfront.

“One of our favourite things about the waterfront is seeing the general public and tourists from the cruise ships wandering wide-eyed through the festival crowd; it’s gold and adds a whole other dynamic to the festival,” he said.

To mark its farewell, organisers have added an extra night to the schedule.

Friday, 14 March, will kick off the festivities with performances by Che Fu, Lee Matthews, Stan Walker, and the spectacular ‘Synthony’.

Saturday, 15 March, will feature 5 stages filled with over 50 acts, including Shapeshifter, Shihad, Sir Dave Dobbyn, Kaylee Bell, Nesian Mystik, Alien Weaponry, The Black Seeds, Mitch James, Katchafire, I Am Giant, The Beths, SWIDT, Aaradhna, Kings, and Drax Project. The highlight of the day will be a special performance by Wellington rock legends Shihad, who will play their last-ever gig at Homegrown.

WellingtonNZ events and experiences general manager Heidi Morton said, “Homegrown has been a summer staple that was always highly anticipated by New Zealand music fans. We are very proud to have supported the event as it has evolved over its almost two-decade journey in the capital.”