Five options to keep Laneway in Auckland

Herald online

5 Aug, 2015 07:30 AM4 mins to read

Crowds in front of the Mysterex Stage at St Jerome's Laneway Festival at Silo Park, Auckland. Photo / Jason Dorday

Here are five options that could work to keep Laneway in Auckland.

Auckland hipsters are up in arms over news that annual music festival Laneway is looking for a new site - possibly in a different city - after being denied permission to use the Auckland Domain.

"We have been kneecapped basically," Laneway New Zealand Partner Manolo Echave told the Herald after the ruling.

"We certainly have had some serious approaches from the likes of Wellington and Christchurch to take the event elsewhere," he said.

Laneway has been held in Auckland for five years at three separate sites: Britomart, Aotea Square, and for the past three years at Silo Park.

The festival is known for signing up emerging and breaking talent. Everyone from FKA Twigs, Royal Blood, The xx, Flying Lotus, Gotye, Haim, Lorde and Tame Impala.

But the festival has outgrown its Silo Park site, and with the Domain ruled out, Laneway is currently homeless.

Here are five options that could work to keep Laneway in Auckland.

Victoria Park

It's definitely big enough. And if the fences are extended past the tree line, there will be plenty of shade for Laneway fans - a major issue at the heat-struck Silo Park. Sure there are problems around the site's clean-up as Taste of Auckland discovered in 2014. But there's certainly enough room, it's really close to Laneway's old site, and who doesn't want to lay back in the grass, soak up some rays and take in next year's headliners so close to town? It would be a nice change from all that concrete.

Albert Park

Nestled in between Queen Street and the University, Albert Park is known for its generous rose gardens and is a popular hangout for students in their lunch break. Albert Park isn't a perfect site for Laneway by any means. But configured right, it could be a goer. There's grass and shade, and there are plenty of quiet spaces around the site if you need a bit of a rest. Plus, it's still close to town. And how about extending the site off onto nearby streets or into the university for a secret stage? That could be fun.

Western Springs

Laneway attracted a 12,000-strong crowd this year, so taking over Western Springs' full site might be a bit much. But how about just using the outer field? Sure, it doesn't exactly fit Laneway's 'urban' theme. But that stage was one of the Big Day Out's best bits in 2014, with grass tickling your toes while bands like Major Lazer and Deftones played. You'll have to deal with all those cheap hipsters watching bands for free through the fence. But transport options are good, and there's more than enough room to expand. They'll just need to install a few fake buildings to boost the site's concrete percentage.

Grey Lynn Park

Just up the road from Western Springs, Grey Lynn Park hosts the Grey Lynn Park Festival every year - so it's well suited to hosting a lot of rowdy people enjoying good food and good music. It's a bit of a trek out of town, but let's face it: how many Laneway fans live in Grey Lynn? Probably all of them.

Back to Aotea Square?

If all else fails, could Laneway return to Aotea Square and utilise The Auckland Town Hall as well? That means plenty of shade for punters escaping into the venue, while Laneway-type bands could enjoy the full production values of the Town Hall's inspiring stage set up. It only fits 2400 or so, but anyone who's squeezed into Silo Park's tiny stage-inside-a-silo knows how enjoyable it is sneaking into a performance few people get to see. And the main stages could still fit into Aotea Square. Unlikely, but we're allowed to dream.