Te Kaha opening events show half the accommodation demand of international-led events

Wednesday, 14 January 2026

Data shows the Electric Avenue weekend in February has seen the most Airbnb bookings for the year so far, aside from New Year’s Day. In May, Six60 will perform with Synthony for the Te Kaha One NZ Stadium opening concert.

Aside from New Year's Day, Electric Avenue has the most Airbnbs booked in Christchurch for 2026, closely followed by Ed Sheeran next week. One New Zealand Stadium at Te Kaha's opening events? About half the number of bookings.

Winter timing and high costs ruled out international acts for the the stadium opening, said Venues Ōtautahi chief executive Caroline Harvie-Teare.

But “big” international announcements are expected in February for a summer touring season she described as “really bumper“ - which will drive the visitor spending that the $683 million stadium was built to deliver.

One NZ Stadium’s opening gig in April - featuring Six60 (above) and Synthony - is expected to sell out, the Venues Ōtautahi chief executive Caroline Harvie-Teare says.

Data from short-term rental platform AirROI, which tracks advance accommodation bookings, shows around 1600 Airbnbs booked for Electric Avenue's February 27-28 weekend - just shy of the 1680 bookings on New Year’s Day.

Last year's Electric Avenue delivered $10.5 million in visitor spend, the largest for any Christchurch event in the past decade. This year's festival features international acts including Kesha, The Prodigy, and Dom Dolla.

Ed Sheeran's Loop tour at Apollo Projects Stadium on January 24-25, also run by Venues Ōtautahi, shows more than 1400 and 1200 bookings respectively across two nights.

Getting an international artist to tour in the winter months is near impossible, Caroline Harvie-Teare says.

Te Kaha's Super Rugby Round opening on April 24-25 has fewer than 900 bookings. Six60 and Synthony's Once in a Lifetime concert on May 16 has around 470.

But the opening strategy differed from the long-term one Harvie-Teare said, “celebrating local” instead of a “huge” international act investment that “wouldn't be the best decision” for a one-off show.

“To get an international artist to tour in the winter months is near impossible because it would take a very, very significant investment,” she said.

She cited examples of what other venues paid for opening concerts - Coldplay opening Perth's Optus Stadium cost about $10 million AUD, and Bruno Mars opening Sydney's arena cost about $8 million AUD.

The Electric Avenue music festival in Hagley Park has seen Christchurch Airbnb bookings soar over its planned weekend in February.

“Artists, regardless of the fact that we've got a roof, they do tour in the summer months. They're not doing global tours in the winter months,” Harvie-Teare said.

The stadium's investment case said it needed to attract international and national events to be competitive and boost the city's economy by attracting visitors from around New Zealand and the world.

While the Super Rugby Round and Six60 concert prioritise accessible community events for locals who have waited years for the venue, Venues Ōtautahi said its long-term strategy focuses on international acts that drive visitor spending.

Electric Avenue returns in February with a raft of high profile acts.

“Our key driver is really to not only showcase the versatility of the venue by way of a diverse range of content, but also drive that economic impact.”

When the stadium secures a New Zealand-exclusive international act, about 30% of attendees will travel to Christchurch - driving spending on accommodation, retail and hospitality, she said.

Demand from promoters wanting to bring international artists to the stadium has already exceeded the investment case, “far beyond” the forecasts for the first 12 months.

'We know how excited people are. We're as keen as anybody else to get those announcements out there, but we obviously can't do anything until we've formally contracted events,' she said.

International act announcements will be released in the next two months, she said, to kick off the summer touring season running from October 2026 to April 2027.

The venue can host 15 major concerts per year under its resource consent Harvie-Teare said. The Super Rugby Round Friday night has sold out, and Harvie-Teare said Six60 and Synthony is also expected to sell out.

“The stadium that we are going to have in [96] days time is going to blow people's minds,' she said.

“The more we continue to announce, it'll meet the needs of a whole diverse range of our community and our audience. So hopefully there's something for everyone.”