Wellington waterfront set to welcome music festival frenzy
Thursday, 9 April 2026
Wellington’s waterfront will be all about that bass when a crowd of about 23,000 attends Ultra - a one-day music festival bringing a host of big name electronic music artists to the capital.
Friday’s lineup at Waitangi Park includes famous duo Chainsmokers - known for song Closer - alongside DJ Snake, Nico Moreno, Oliver Heldens, Darren Styles, Zedd and more. The event kicks off at 3pm and runs through until at least midnight.
This is New Zealand’s first time hosting the globally renowned Ultra musical brand. Promoter Mitch Lowe said many of the artists were used to performing at events like in Miami, in front of 100,000 people.
“For me is it's not only a dream, it's truly mind-blowing. We said we could say yes to everything. I didn't want New Zealand to get half the product that Australia gets,” Lowe said.
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MetService has forecast fine weather and the waterfront between Waitangi Park and Odlins Plaza has been closed to the public for the duration of the event.
Lowe’s Audiology Touring is behind some of New Zealand’s biggest electronic festivals, including Soundsplash, Bay Dreams and High Tide.
Lowe said, following Homegrown’s departure for Hamilton, he had seen a massive opportunity to host a large-scale music festival in Wellington.
“I just wanted to be able to give a multi-stage experience to a city that, in my opinion, just really needed it and deserved it. So we're super, super excited to be in Wellington and bring such an iconic event and brand here.”
After working with WellingtonNZ and Ultra Worldwide, the organisers managed to pull together the event in four months.
Is Ultra going to be better than Homegrown? Lowe demurred, saying he was good friends with the event’s promoters - but added nothing of Ultra’s scale had ever been done in Wellington.
If Ultra was a success, would the council consider hosting more large-scale electronic events in Wellington?
“We're always in the market for stuff,” mayor Andrew Little said. “And I think Wellington has got a national, if not an international, recognition as a festival city, and we're showing that again this weekend.”
Safety of festival attendees paramount, organiser says
Lowe said the festival had measures in place to ensure everyone’s safety.
In addition to barriers placed along the wharf’s edge, the festival had an active crowd control team, he said.
Some of these included one way barriers and lifeguards out on the water.
“Crowd control is such a such a major part that is sort of done in the background that no-one really sees. But the work that goes into that is incredible.”
Deputy mayor Ben McNulty warned there would be no pill testing stations on site and urged people to avoid illicit substances.
However, pill testing is available at the Drugs and Health Development Project clinic on Willis St. There will be community patrols around over the weekend in the interest of safety, as well as Take 10 on Courtenay Place.
Surrounding businesses mixed on festival
Gelissimo Gelateria posted on social media saying the cafe’s entire forefront was now obstructed from view because of the festival, which required a week before and after the event to construct and de-construct the stages. It would be closed until the stages were dismantled, the post said.
“We’re the only business with this severe level of impact, though all our neighbouring businesses will be suffering too.”
The Enormous Crocodile & Shake Bar is located on the waterfront, selling ice cream and shakes alongside iconic four-wheel crocbikes that are available to hire.
Owner Aston Christie said he expected foot traffic would be affected for the store on Friday, as the back of Te Papa had been blocked off, but this was what had happened during Homegrown.
Whether any of the thousands of festival attendees would be interested in ice-cream or a crocbike over the weekend, time would tell, he said.