NZ Herald

5 Sep, 2023 12:58 AM3 mins to read

St Jerome's Laneway Festival is finally returning to New Zealand next year - and the line-up may be the best yet.

Laneway - Figure 1
Photo New Zealand Herald

The beloved St Jerome’s Laneway Festival is finally returning to Auckland after a four-year hiatus - and the line-up proves it was worth the wait.

The star-studded line-up - which was announced this morning - will see British rapper Stormzy, American singer-songwriter Steve Lacy and Euphoria star Dominic Fike take the Kiwi stage for the very first time. But the fun doesn’t stop there.

Also announced as performers are some of the world’s most exciting talents, including Unknown Mortal Orchestra, d4vd, Raye, festival favourite Dope Lemon and Daisy Jones and the Six star Suki Waterhouse.

Elsewhere, the iconic festival - which also has shows in Brisbane and Sydney - will welcome a massive line-up of local talent, including Atarangi, Church, Daily J, Erny Belle, hanbee and Molly Payton.

Tickets will be available through pre-sale events from September 12, while general sale tickets go on sale on September 14 at 11am.

Last year, the iconic music festival was cancelled due to the Auckland Anniversary weekend floods, which plunged the city into a state of emergency and forced concert-goers to evacuate from Elton John’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road show at Mt Smart Stadium (now Go Media Stadium Mt Smart).

Laneway - Figure 2
Photo New Zealand Herald

Organisers were forced to make the “heartbreaking decision” to cancel the festival, which was set to be headlined by Phoebe Bridgers, Haim and Joji, but promised to return in 2024.

“We were so excited to deliver this show to our biggest crowd ever in New Zealand. Our team has been working around the clock to do everything they can to salvage the site, but the damage and disruption caused by the weather has meant that it is no longer safe to proceed,” they said at the time.

Steve Lacy, Stormzy and Raye will hit the Laneway stage in 2024.

But just last week, after a long four-year wait, organisers announced that the festival is back and will be held on Waitangi Day on Tuesday, February 6 next year - meaning music fans from all over the country will get the chance to go along on the public holiday.

The festival will take place at the new and improved Western Springs in Auckland.

Auckland Stadiums director James Parkinson says, “It will be superb to welcome Laneway fans to the venue. Work is well under way to ensure Western Springs – which is one of Auckland’s legendary concert venues – will be ready to host a great festival next summer.”

LOWDOWN:

What: Laneway Festival 2024

Who: Stormzy, Steve Lacy, Dominic Fike, Atarangi, Church, Raye, Suki Waterhouse and more

When: Tuesday, February 6

Where: Western Springs, Auckland

Tickets: Pre-sale starts Tuesday, September 12 at 11am; general sale starts Thursday, September 14 at 11am.

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