Rotorua GLO Festival discontinued due to rising costs, declining public satisfaction

The GLO Festival was last held in 2019. Photo / Stephen Parker

Rotorua's GLO festival is being discontinued due to "escalating costs and declining public satisfaction," Rotorua Lakes Council says.

The event, which has previously been held on New Year's Eve, started in 2012 and was last held in 2019, with the 2020 and 2021 events cancelled due to Covid-19.

Rotorua Lakes Council deputy chief executive for community wellbeing, Anaru Pewhairangi, said in a statement that community feedback on events had shown a steady decline in public satisfaction with the GLO estival.

"The cost to stage events of this type has escalated since then, and the fact there is a raft of large events of all types coming to Rotorua during the next four months was also a factor in deciding to retire GLO," he said.

"The decision also reflects the council's new events strategy, which aims to ensure Rotorua has a flourishing, future-proofed events industry by providing support for great events for both locals and visitors."

The council would be supporting and growing key events such as Lakeside, Crankworx and Matariki, which it said would contribute to Rotorua remaining a "thriving visitor destination" and cater for the local community.

"When the city is hosting manuhiri, local residents and businesses benefit and a thriving events industry plays a key role in bringing visitors here," the statement said.

Rotorua Lakes Council director of events Joelene Elliott said it recognised retiring the New Year's Eve event would be felt in the community.

However, with a "dramatic increase" in events coming to Rotorua for the rest of the year and beyond, it made sense to put the council's resources behind them to maximise the experience for residents and visitors, she said.

The Rotorua Night Market will be running a family-friendly event on New Year's Eve and will be similar to a whānau event held in 2020, which offered a range of local entertainment, food trucks and fun activities.

Rotorua events this summer:

· Crankworx (on now)
· Six60 (tomorrow)
· Rotorua Off Road Trail Run/Walk (Nov 2022)
· New Zealand Blues & BBQ Festival (Nov 2022)
· NZ Māori Touch Nationals (Dec 2022)
· NZ Secondary Schools Touch (Dec 2022)
· National Maori Basketball Tournament (Jan 2023)
· Tarawera Ultra Marathon (February 2023)
· NRL Indigenous All Stars vs Māori All Stars (February 2023)
· Opening of Sir Howard Morrison Centre (February 2023)
· Australasian Police and Emergency Games (March 2023)
· Xterra Rotorua Festival (March 2023)
· Lakeside (March 2023)
· Crankworx returns (March 2023)

For more information, visit the Rotorua Nui website.