Record turnout for city park concerts

A big day out…all through Summer. Auckland City’s Music In Parks programme is proving to be a hit with music fans of all generations – and there are still plenty of great concerts to come.

Running until 21 March, Music in Parks brings 36 performances to city and suburban parks like the Auckland Domain, Mt Eden's Tahaki Reserve and reserves on Waiheke and Great Barrier islands.

So far the programme seems to be hitting all the right chords with music lovers. More than 1400 turned up for the first Montana Jazz at the Band Rotunda concert and around 800 attended the first classical performance, also held at the Rotunda at Auckland Domain, at the weekend. Last Sunday Myers Park had a record turnout with more than 5500 enjoying artists like Katchfire, Bevan Keys, Open Souls, and DJ Philippa.

The next big rock concert, The Edge Jam in the Park, will be on Anniversary Day at Coyle Park, Pt Chevalier. It will run from 2pm to 6pm on 26 January and feature Zed, Goodshirt, Augustino and 48May.

The ever-popular Dancing in the Street series is back on 23 January, with top New Zealand dance acts Subware, Minuit, Nick D and DJ Slowdeck set to entertain crowds in Beresford Square. This event will be followed by another two concerts in Lorne Street, behind the St James Theatre. The first, on 20 February, will feature Greg Churchill and SJD. The last for the summer, on 19 March, has a lineup including Sola Rosa and Concord Dawn.

And the action is not just restricted to the centre of the city. Some of the city’s brightest new bands will be appearing at the Surfdale Reserve on Waiheke Island on 21 February. The lineup for the latter concert includes Eight, the Have, Element X and Goon. Then on Great Barrier Island, Unity Pacific Band, The Managers and DJ Philippa will be laying down laid-back reggae, ska and house music at a concert at the Claris Sportsclub grounds on 8 March.

But if rock and pop is not your thing, there are still plenty of other concerts on offer. Jazz and classical music will continue to be on the menu every Sunday at the Band Rotunda, while on 28 February the Tahaki Reserve, Mt Eden, will host a salsa festival. The programme will feature Latin band Kantuta and DJs, as well as offering the public free salsa dance lessons.

Whatever your taste, there are still plenty of Auckland City Music in Parks concerts left this summer, so grab a picnic and a blanket and head out to one of the City’s beautiful parks to enjoy some first class music.

Check your Free Summer Guide or http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/whatson/events/mips/ for more details.

Last year the concerts proved extremely successful with over 45,000 Auckland residents enjoying some beautiful summer days and a wide variety of top quality music.

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