Music Industry News

The 2027 Auckland Folk Festival presents an incredible musical journey spanning the depth and breadth of folk music and dance from Aotearoa and around the world. An annual destination for families and friends for over 50 years, the three-day spectacular is a chance to step out of the hustle and bustle of daily life and step into a world of music, dance, food, workshops and more. Held at the Kumeu Showgrounds from Friday 29 January – Monday 1 February 2027 (Auckland Anniversary Weekend).

As New Zealand’s largest folk festival, Auckland Folk Festival honours the traditional, while exploring the modern, with a programme showcasing both local and international acts from across the musical spectrum. Take your pick from five stages, under cover with marquees, (including a dedicated kids’ stage) alongside flax weaving, pottery, music and dance workshops – food trucks for every diet and camping fun for the whole family! Day passes and full weekend passes are available.

Festival Programme & Artist Coordinator, Emily Roughton, says, “2027 is going to be a magnificent celebration of our creative community! There is a place for everyone, and space for young and old to enjoy a wonderful blend of tradition and discovery.”

Headlining the festival this year is Ny Oh, whose beguiling voice and songwriting have made her one of the most talked-about names on the New Zealand folk scene. Fresh off touring with Harry Styles and taking home Best Folk Album at the 2026 Aotearoa Music Awards, Ny Oh brings a headline show not to be missed.

Also joining the top of the bill is Yurt Party, the beloved Christchurch-based street party band known for turning festival crowds into one big dance floor. Off the back of their huge headline performance at the 2026 Woodford Folk Festival, Yurt Party will bring their trademark chaos and joy to the Auckland Folk Festival stages in 2027!

From across the Tasman, Auckland Folk Festival welcomes three exciting Australian acts. Apolline arrives with an award-winning pedigree – winner of the Gill Rees Memorial Award for Young Musicians at the National Folk Festival and Folk Alliance Australia’s Youth Artist of the Year at the Australian Folk Music Awards. They’re joined by Melbourne trio The Inadequates, three young guns bringing plenty of fun to the programme, and 5-piece bluegrass outfit The Borough, featuring Lucy Kammerman (ABOTMA Young Performer of the Year) on fiddle.

Representing Ireland is four-piece Tulua, a traditional Irish ensemble whose music is deeply rooted in their rich heritage. Ghanaian musician Yaw Asumadu, now based in Aotearoa, brings his WOMAD-honed sound to the festival stages.

Returning to New Zealand for the 2027 Festival, via Nashville, is Cy Winstanley, one half of Tui Award-winning duo Tattletale Saints and a regular collaborator with Tami Neilson. US singer-songwriter Jeff Davis also returns to the lineup. Award-winning folk songwriter Nicola Mitchell (Waikato/Tainui Ngāti Maniapoto) will present a set with her acoustic trio, a show filled with storytelling, dark Americana sounds & a touch of bluegrass.

Rounding out the Aotearoa contingent, Auckland-based soul-food singer-songwriter dān dān 丹丹 brings her bilingual English/Mandarin storytelling and classically trained piano to the festival on the back of her debut EP songs about food. Hinekoia Tomlinson (Ngāti Hine, Whakatōhea, Ngāti Awa), founder of Waiata Mai Vocal Coaching, returns to run her much loved waiata workshops, blending vocal technique, voice science and the power of waiata.

The much loved, dedicated Kids Stage is in good hands once again this year, with returning favourite Cy Winstanley’s alter ego Simon Stanley and the talented Niccolo Piccolo; The latter presents an interactive, action-packed musical adventure created by Nicola Mitchell that helps tamariki learn te reo Māori through original bilingual waiata, in a fun, safe space.

“a stunning success… quality and vast breadth of styles and genres,” 13th Floor
(on the experience of the Auckland Folk Festival)

Tickets on sale now and available from: www.aucklandfolkfestival.co.nz and Moshtix

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