‘It’s a no-brainer’: Could Rhythm and Vines be coming to Hamilton?

Thursday, 23 July 2026

Rhythm and Vines has been a staple of the summer festival calendar since it kicked off at Waiohika Estate in Gisborne more than 20 years ago.

Could Hamilton snag one of the country’s biggest music festivals? According to local figures, the answer is yes.

Rhythm and Vines organisers announced on Tuesday that 2026 would be the festival’s last year at Waiohika Estate in Gisborne, where it has been a staple of the summer festival calendar since 2003.

The move is intended to “support the festival’s long-term future and continued evolution”.

Rhythm and Vines organisers won’t comment on where the festival is going, leading to speculation about which city will get to host the four-day music event.

While it has not yet been revealed where Rhythm and Vines will be held in 2027, there is speculation Hamilton could be in contention to become the four-day festival’s new home.

Stuff reported on Tuesday that, according to one source, Mystery Creek was being considered, though a spokesperson for the venue said no conversations about hosting the festival had taken place with the organisers.

A Rhythm and Vines spokesperson declined to comment when asked by the Waikato Times if Hamilton was a contender to host the festival.

Hamilton Central Business Association general manager Vanessa Williams says there’s room in the calendar for Rhythm and Vines in Hamilton.

“Our current focus is on delivering an outstanding festival this year and giving Gisborne the farewell it deserves. We are not confirming any future location at this stage and look forward to sharing details about the festival's next chapter when the time is right.”

A spokesperson for Mystery Creek said in a statement that the venue would “welcome a conversation if it was looking to move to the Waikato as it would be a great addition to the regions summer calendar, and we have an ideal set-up for it”.

“We have hosted a number of music-style festivals including Parachute, Festival One, Six60, Meatstock, Soundsplash - most of these took advantage of our camping capabilities across 44 hectares of our site.”

One source told Stuff Mystery Creek was in contention to be the new home of Rhythm and Vines, though the venue and festival organisers have not confirmed this.

Local figures are optimistic Waikato is in with a fighting chance to secure the festival.

Hamilton Central Business Association general manager Vanessa Williams said the festival would add to an already stacked line-up of events around the region.

She pointed to the existing festivals Homegrown and Soundsplash alongside Fieldays as proof the Waikato was capable of hosting Rhythm and Vines.

Waikato Chamber of Commerce chief executive Don Good said Rhythm and Vines coming to the region was “almost a no-brainer”, adding it was close to other major centres and had the facilities to put on a festival.

“I think it would be an amazing destination event for Hamilton,” she said, adding it would reinforce the city’s reputation for catering to large audiences.

Williams said there were no other major events scheduled in the city during the lead-up to New Year’s, meaning there was plenty of room in the calendar for Rhythm and Vines if it did make the move north west.

She was realistic that there would be challenges if the festival shifted to Hamilton, but added they were not “insurmountable” or unique to the region.

“I do think there will be challenges, but I would hope that those challenges will be able to be dealt with and adapted to make it viable.”

Like Williams, Waikato Chamber of Commerce chief executive Don Good was keen to see Rhythm and Vines come to the region, calling it “almost a no-brainer”.

“It would be wonderful for not only the owners of Rhythm and Vines, but all the punters who would love to come.”

He reckoned the festival could follow Homegrown, which relocated from Wellington’s Waitangi Park to Hamilton’s Claudelands Oval earlier this year, or head to Mystery Creek on the city’s outskirts.

Both have the capacity to host large scale festival events: Homegrown drew more than 25,000 attendees to Claudelands in March and pumped almost $10 million into the local economy, while Mystery Creek saw 132,000 people through its gates in four days for this year’s Fieldays. The venue also has on-site camping facilities available, and previously hosted barbecue festival Meatstock.

Good said Hamilton’s location in the Golden Triangle was also a point in the city’s favour, with Auckland and Tauranga close by.

There was also plenty to do for attendees visiting the region, he added, and the festival would give business around the Waikato a boost.

“People can also not not only go to the concert, but they can actually go and have a look at Maungatautari Mountain, they can go out to Hobbiton, they can look at the gardens in Hamilton - there’s any number of wonderful attractions for people to see over and above the actual festival itself.”

While Good was hopeful Rhythm and Vines would come to the region, he said he wasn’t planning on attending if it did, laughing that he wasn’t the target demographic.

“But having been to a few of those sorts of things [it’s] a wonderful experience, [a] must do. All my kids did it.”