Longline Classic music festival tickets selling fast for Labour Weekend

Twenty-five acts will perform at this year’s Longline Classic being held at the Gisborne Soundshell at Labour Weekend. Picture by Rebecca Grunwell

Gisborne’s much-loved music festival The Longline Classic is all set to notch up the heat a level higher, with their musical razzmatazz this October.

Since its inaugural success in 2020, the one-day festival has found immense popularity among the locals and Kiwis across Aotearoa.

One of the major changes this year will be the location of the event, which has been moved from Makaraka Racecourse to Gisborne Soundshell.

Brothers in music and festival founders Kurt Barker and James Bristow said they were excited to have the festival in an iconic venue that supported the “beach vibe” of their sonic extravaganza.

The duo said this year’s event would see 25 artists perform and includes headlining acts such as Katchafire, Home Brew, and pop idol Mitch James joining in with other national and local bands such as Ocean Space and BrailBeat.

Both Barker and Bristow are also known to operate several other out-of-town festivals and often braved the brutalities of weather conditions impacts during shows, the latest being their Coromandel classic music festival which went ahead despite stormy weather.

“It wasn’t as bad as we thought it would be, but of course we have to take precautions and make preparations in such times. We have similarly taken measures to ensure we have a safe and enjoyable festival in the event the weather isn’t too kind to us.

“Our hope is to provide the people with a full day of fun and entertainment,” they said.

Regarding ticket sales, the event has already sold 1000 tickets online.

“With almost a quarter of our tickets booked, we only have spaces for 3500 tickets. To access our early bird sale prices locals must book their tickets now, before they get sold,” said the duo.

■    To book your tickets visit https://www.thelonglineclassic.co.nz/