Le Currents will return to Taupō in 2026 as a two-day festival for the very first time, marking the biggest evolution in the event's six-year history.
What began in 2020 as a boutique summer music festival beside the Waikato River has rapidly become one of New Zealand's most anticipated destination festivals, attracting music lovers from across the country and generating significant economic benefit for the Taupō region.
Organisers say the move to a two-day format reflects the extraordinary growth of the festival, which has welcomed tens of thousands of attendees through its gates since its launch and hosted an impressive roll call of local and international artists including Ocean Alley, Sticky Fingers, Lime Cordiale, Rudimental, Dope Lemon, Dave Dobbyn and many more Australian and New Zealand favourites.
Set against the stunning backdrop of Taupō’s Riverside Park, Le Currents has built a reputation for combining world-class live music with one of the country's most unique festival settings. The expansion to two days will allow organisers to deliver a larger programme than ever before while creating additional opportunities for visitors to experience everything Taupō has to offer.
Adam McDonald, operations manager at Trademark Live, says the two-day festival on Sunday, December 27 and Monday, December 28 (Boxing Day holiday observed) helps kick off the summer holiday season prior to New Year’s Eve and is a great time to be in Taupō.
“Two days of music and it just really reflects the love and how the festival's grown each year. So it's just really awesome to be able to see it, grow to a two-day festival, but also means that we've got the lineup to cover a two-day festival as well.”
Festival Director Toby Burrows says the decision to expand Le Currents reflects years of steady growth and increasing demand from both audiences and artists.
"Le Currents has grown enormously since 2020. Every year we've seen demand increase and audiences travel from further afield. Moving to two days allows us to deliver the biggest and best version of the festival yet."
Fellow director Walt Robberds says the expansion reflects the festival's growing status as a destination event.
"Around 80 per cent of our audience travels to Taupō from outside the region, so expanding to two days felt like a natural next step. If people are making the mission, we want to give them more value, an even better experience and create greater benefit for the local community."
The festival's growth has delivered tangible benefits for the wider region, with thousands of visitors travelling to Taupō annually and contributing to local accommodation providers, hospitality businesses and tourism operators.
Now entering its sixth year, Le Currents is also preparing to unveil its most ambitious programme to date with the full 2026 lineup to be revealed at 7pm on Wednesday, June 17, with organisers promising the biggest artist announcement in festival history.
Further event details, ticketing information and festival updates will be released alongside the lineup announcement.
The Festival
Since launching in 2020, Le Currents has become one of New Zealand's premier summer music festivals. Held annually at Riverside Park in Taupō overlooking the Waikato River, the festival has hosted some of Australasia's most celebrated artists while attracting audiences from throughout New Zealand.
