Situated in a beguiling bay on the shores of Tapapakanga regional Park is a boutique music and arts festival like no other. 

An entertainment extravaganza & New Zealand's greatest dress up party. We invite you to embrace the theme and join this mindful tribe of party animals!

Mrs Byrne's Dictionary of Unusual, Obscure and Preposterous Words defines Splore as: Merry-making festivities, carousing and frolicking, a good going session.

Splore is a three-day music and arts festival staged annually on the shores of Tapapakanga Regional Park – perhaps the most beautiful festival setting in the world.

But it's more than a good place. It's a good place in your heart.

Throughout the three days – and deep into the night – an eclectic lineup of musical artists from New Zealand and abroad plays the festival stages. Performing arts, installations, workshops and forums flower across the site. And people dance like no one's watching.

It's the best sort of party. But it's more than a party, it's a community. To come to Splore is to be part of Splore. Be kind, be respectful, be up for it.

MAGICal, MYSTERious, RHYTHMIC and ROUTINE. GAMBOLING, SPIRAL PATTERNS KEEP us on the MOVe. Sun kissed LIMBS DANCing TO RHYTHMs. WE ARE MYSTIC, WE ARE MAGIC. summon YOUR SPIRIT ANimal, conjure SUNSHINE & BANISH the DARKNESS. bring THE DAWN. EAT! SLEEP! RAVE! REPEAT! LET THERE bE MOMENTS UNEXPLAINEd.

Mystic Ritual - splore 2018

THINGS TO KNOW

From when to arrive and when to leave, to how Splore's currency wristbands work,  there are things that will make your Splore weekend sweeter if you know them in advance. So we've created a page full of key information and helpful FAQs.
 

Music

Sweet, sweet music. The Splore team spends months each year checking out the world's best festival acts – bands, singers, MCs and DJs – and deciding who to bring home to meet the whanau. Always eclectic, always special.

 

Performing Arts 

Featuring an array of extraordinary talents, Splore is guaranteed to surprise and delight with shows, workshops, happenings, flash mobs and disruptions, to view, experience and participate.

VISUAL ARTS

Dedicated curators put together Splore's arts programme, which encompasses performances, happenings and installations. Take a break from dancing and immerse yourself in the shimmering, spooky delights of the arts trail. Indeed across the entire site there are wonders that surprise and delight

FAMILY FRIENDLY

Kids are welcome at Splore. There's a dedicated kids' zone with its own programme of activities and separate, free family camping areas. Children under 12 can come to Splore free and youth tickets (ages 13-17) are discounted. We welcome the whole family. It takes a village, you know?

GET INVOLVED

We're happy to hear from musical, visual and performance artists who want to be a formal part of Splore. Ditto vendors and bar staff. Splore also runs a volunteer programme – you help us out for a few hours, we help you out with a ticket to the party.

WELLNESS

Splore's Wellness zone, dedicated to healthy minds and bodies, is open for the duration. Rejuvenate and nourish, soul, body and mind.
 

SPLORE PARTNERS

Our partners help us create a great festival – thanks to them we can pull Splore off every year. Their support means we can focus on the finest entertainment and audience-orientated fun.

TANGATA WHENUA

Splore takes place on the ancestral land of the tangata whenua, Ngāti Whanaunga and Ngāti Paoa. Our international guests are welcomed every year with a powhiri. We are guests here, and parts of the site have a particular significance to our hosts. These are well-marked and we need you to respect the boundaries

SATURDAY NIGHT

Every moment at Splore is special, but Saturday night is when we really step out. Its about carnival, colour and costume. You can get together with your friends and dress to this year's theme, or just to how you feel. No, it's not compulsory, but it's deeply, wonderfully liberating.

LEAVE NO TRACE

 Every year as a matter of respect for the land we occupy and the planet we share, Splore seeks to raise its game. Sustainable practice is at the heart of everything we do.

FOOD AND DRINK

Our food vendors are part of the ethos and most of them come back every year. The fare is nourishing, varied and affordable. There are several bars located throughout the festival site serving beer, wine, spirits and non-alcoholic drinks. And because sometimes chips are what you need, there are chips. 

GETTING HERE

Tapapakanga Regional Park, Deerys Rd, Orere Point, is 72km south east of Auckland CBD – it takes about an hour, but you may encounter queues at peak times. We like it when you share a ride, and there is also a subsidised bus from central Auckland.

CAMPING

Nearly all Splorers stay onsite in one of the multiple camping zones. Every festival ticket includes access to free camping and there's a range of options, including reserved sites, family camping and – because camping can be art – special themed camping areas.

SPOKEN WORD

Ideas matter, and the time for talking about them is Saturday morning at THE LISTENING LOUNGE.
A curated programme of panellists and speakers talk about things that matter – from drug harm reduction to science and building better cities. You'll also be able to listen to (and ask questions of) some of the top artists from Splore's music lineup.

SPLORE SPOTIFY

We love families and kids at Splore and offer free and reserved camping areas for families of all sizes. These areas are dedicated to families, close enough to all amenities and the entertainment precinct to make your family experience comfortable and safe.

Tickets For Kids

Children 12 and under are free. Parents just need to select a $0 value kids ticket when purchasing their own. There will be a $6 charge for the child's wristband. This way we can keep a handle on how many kids are going to be onsite and cater for families more accurately. 

Join Splore Families

Have you heard about the Splore Families page on Facebook?  Follow us to stay updated with the latest news including kids programmes, The Rumpus Room, food, contests and more. 

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We're committed to constantly improving Splore in all areas and minimising our impact on the environment is no exception.

Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do, from eliminating single use cups and water bottles, introducing reusable serve-ware for our food and working closely with Tapapakanga’s iwi, Ngāti Paoa and Ngāti Whanaunga. Splore is a member of the Sustainable Business Network and is proud to be the first New Zealand festival to win the international ‘A Greener Festival Award’ for our sustainability initiatives.

Thanks to the Splorers (that's you) we create a festival environment where we rewrite the rules and explore a better, and more exciting, way of living.

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Honour the whenua

It is a privilege to party on this sacred whenua, Tapapakanga. We are very thankful to the tangata whenua, Ngāti Paoa and Ngāti Whanaunga, and their ancestors - the ancient occupants of this beautiful place. They give us their blessing to be here. Please be kaitiaki (caregivers) and take pride in being here as Splore community.

Ko Papatuanuku te whaea o te whenua.
Papatuanuku is the earth mother. 

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