Auckland's multimillion-dollar summer: Events will inject tens of millions into economy

Scenes from Wondergarden Festival, Silo Park, Auckland in 2016. Photo / File

Auckland is gearing up for the ultimate summer of fun - with a raft of gigs from chart-toppers to top sporting and cultural events set to pump tens of millions into the economy.

Big names like Taylor Swift, Six60 and Mumford & Sons are luring fans from all over the city - and the country.

Seven major events at three Auckland Council venues - Mt Smart Stadium, Western Springs and the Civic - have been estimated to create around $21 million alone, according to figures released by Regional Facilities Auckland, a subsidiary of the council.

They are expected to draw more than 200,000 people in stadium seats, or various mosh pits, and around 40 per cent of those will be travelling to Auckland for the events.

Taylor Swift is due to play in Auckland next month. Photo / Supplied

The venues are council-owned, but RFA is working with external promoters to put the events on.

Taylor Swift kicks off the lineup at Mt Smart with her Reputation tour on November 9.

The album was one of the world's biggest sellers of last year - and the fourth of Swift's to reach number one in New Zealand's album charts.

For those less into belting out scathing lyrics about Swift's latest ex, there is the Monster Energy S-X Open.

The event claims to be the largest off-road motorcycling series outside of the United States, and will attract crowds of petrol heads to Mt Smart Stadium on November 24.

The other events include Disney's Aladdin at the Civic and ZM Friday Jams, Mumford & Sons, Fat Freddy's Drop and Six60, all at Western Springs.

RFA chief executive Chris Brooks said it was an exciting programme, with a diverse range of acts and events.

"Possibly the most exciting thing for us is that we've got Six60 selling out Western Springs - that's the first time that's happened with a local New Zealand act.

"That's a really great outcome."

A sprint car in action at Western Springs Speedway. Photo / James Selwyn Photography

The Kiwi band's show - which is their only New Zealand show this summer - is high on Brooks' list of highlights.

He is also keen to head along to Taylor Swift.

While the seven events at council venues are expected to bring in more than $20 million, there are a further 10 or so events the council's tourism branch is running, or investing in.

Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (Ateed) is running the Auckland Lantern Festival, on February 14-17, as well as Pasifika, on March 23-24.

Sports fans are snapping up tickets to the two-week ASB Classic tennis festival which will attract a host of top men and women's players to Auckland.

And next weekend tens of thousands of fans will head to Pukekohe Park Raceway for the NZ round of the Australian Supercar Championship.

The agency is also investing in a handful of events such as Splore Music and Arts Festival, Hockey Pro League, and several events on New Year's Eve in central Auckland.

These include the Wonder Garden Festival in Silo Park and Vector Lights Harbour Bridge Show.

Six60 will become the first NZ act to headline a show at Western Springs in Auckland when they play there in February. Photo / File

Ateed's head of major events, Stuart Turner, said the idea was to make Auckland a summer destination, rather than the spot everyone ditches for the beach.

"Traditionally the summer has been strong in Auckland anyway - we've got cruise ships in and that sort of thing.

"But you've still got to work to get people coming."

The aim was to encourage Aucklanders to stick around, and to make out-of-towners realise there were events to plan a trip around.

"The big thing is locking in partnerships with those event organisers, to make sure the events are delivering maximum benefits," Turner explained.

Ateed was also planning more filming opportunities at key Auckland events, in the hopes of boosting the city's profile, he said.

It was shaping up to be a strong financial season for Auckland's tourism economy, Turner said.

Visitor spending on accommodation, food and beverages and other goods and services would rake in money for local businesses, he said.

The events were also good news for businesses involved in events operations - such as venue hire, security and waste management.

"It will be tens of millions of dollars if you look at them all together," Turner said.

RFA major summer events:
• Taylor Swift, November 9, Mt Smart Stadium
• ZM Friday Jams (Salt n Pepa, T-Pain, Ginuwine and more) November 18, Western Springs Stadium
• Monster Energy S-X Open, November 24, Mt Smart Stadium
• Disney's Aladdin (major musical stage show in NZ for the first time) January 3 - 10 February 10, The Civic
• Mumford & Sons, January 12, Western Springs Stadium
• Fat Freddy's Drop, January 19, Western Springs Stadium
• Six60, February 23, Western Springs Stadium

Summer events Ateed is investing in:
• ITM Auckland Supersprint, November 2-4, Pukekohe Park Raceway
• Wonder Garden Festival, 31 December, Silo Park
• ASB Classic tennis tournament, December 31-January 12, ASB Tennis Arena
• Hockey Pro League, January 27-April 25, 2019, North Harbour Stadium
• Auckland Lantern Festival, February 14-17, Auckland Domain
• Auckland Pride Parade, February 16, Ponsonby Rd
• Splore Music and Arts Festival, February 23-25, Tapapakanga Regional Park
• Sculpture on the Gulf, March 1-24, Waiheke Island
• Pasifika Festival, March 23-24, Western Springs Park