Fans kick it at Auckland City Limits

The crowd cheers as Kendrick Lamar performs at the Auckland City Limits festival at Western Springs. Photo / Chris Loufte

It was billed as a Big Day Out for adults, but as Auckland City Limits' evening entertainment kicked off it was busy proving itself to be much more than that.

There were plenty of reasons to celebrate the festival's music, from Che Fu's jaunty mid-afternoon set to Action Bronson's sweaty rap antics and Ladyhawke's power pop keeping fans jumping around.

ACL's Americana-heavy vibe, thanks to its connection to Austin City Limits, was also felt early thanks to acts like St Paul & the Broken Bones and Houndmouth.

Malaika Meder, 27, dancing to Action Bronson at the inaugural Auckland City Limits festival at Western Springs. Photo / Chris Louft

But there were other reasons to be at Western Springs today - like the food, with punters dining out on pork tacos from Auckland eatery Mexico, or slow braised goat from Beirut.

If you were one of the many parents in attendance, a separate stage for kids included live music, face painting and access to the neighbouring Motat.

A fan rises above the crowd getting a better view of Action Bronson performing at the inaugural Auckland City Limits festival at Western Springs. Photo / Chris Louft

And if you wanted a drink in the sun, you could head over to the lakeside tavern, a pop-up version of Ponsonby bar Golden Dawn with its very own stage and itinerary.

You could also take in the main stage acts via virtual reality, thanks to a tent full of headsets and headphones set up by Samsung.

The crowd watching Action Bronson at the inaugural Auckland City Limits festival at Western Springs. Photo / Chris Louft

As alt-rock Kiwi favourites The Naked & Famous sound tracked the sun setting on the main stage, queues for toilets, drinks and food appeared to be reaching their peak.

This evening's entertainment also includes Girl Talk, Cold War Kids and a 90-minute set from hyped rapper Kendrick Lamar.