Wellington's Homegrown festival to pay tribute to victims of Christchurch terror attacks

Wellington's Homegrown music festival will pause for a moment of silence on Saturday night. Photo / Brady Dyer.

Wellington's Homegrown music festival will fall silent on Saturday night in a mark of respect for those who lost their lives or were injured in the Christchurch terror attacks.

Twenty-thousand concert goers will join the artists and bands across five stages for a moment of silence at 9.25pm.

Homegrown Events chief executive Andrew Tuck says they want to express love and respect for those caught up in the attacks.

"One of the best things about great music is that it's blind to things like race, culture and religion and brings people from all walks of life together to stand shoulder to shoulder," said Tuck.

"All of the Homegrown whanau, including all the performers, wanted to show respect to those caught up in the tragedy and give the audience the opportunity to come together as well."

Mayor Justin Lester says Homegrown is a cherished Wellington event which continues to show its true colours.

"Homegrown has always stood for New Zealand music. This year it also stands for our compassion and love for our Christchurch cousins," he said.

"On behalf of all Wellingtonians, I thank everyone associated with the event for that."

Wellington Regional Economic Development Agency (WREDA) general manager Warrick Dent expects Homegrown's moment of silence will be observed by locals alongside thousands of visitors to the capital.

"We are expecting up to 15,000 visitors from outside the region will be at Homegrown," said Dent.

"While the audience are there to enjoy the music and what will be a great event, we are sure that all will embrace the opportunity to show their respect along with the Homegrown performers."