New festival will debut in Rotorua and put families first in global music price squeeze

A new summer festival launching in Rotorua aims to change who gets to experience live music with a strong focus on families, affordability and access.

This comes at a time when major concerts are increasingly out of reach for many fans across the Pacific and Aotearoa New Zealand.

The 8TH WONDER Festival, led by Aotearoa band L.A.B and their label Loop, will debut at the Rotorua Village Green in January as a one-day celebration of music, culture, and connection.

In a music scene where international tours often cost hundreds of dollars a ticket, organisers say the goal is to keep the experience open to more people.

It will offer accessible ticketing options like Afterpay, allow under-18s with a guardian, and admit children under five for free.

L.A.B frontman Joel Shadbolt and Corella’s Pipiwharauroa Campbell told Island Time about their drive to create a multigenerational space for a world-class show.

“Look, it's a gig that's catered for all ages...because not often do you get a festival like this with this kind of lineup that you can actually bring your kids along to,” Shadbolt says.

“These internationals, you know, four, five hundred bucks for a ticket is like, come on, man. So it's trying to make it accessible to everybody.”

Campbell says the festival also responds to a gap in the local live music scene.

Watch Joel Shadbolt and Pipiwharauroa Campbell's full interview below.

“I feel like there's not enough festivals out there these days and the line-up is just stacked,” he says.

“There’s like a real diverse range of music, all the New Zealand classics. So it should be a good time.”

8TH WONDER features a lineup of some of Aotearoa’s iconic voices alongside international superstars.

They are L.A.B, Te Wehi, Sir Dave Dobbyn, Aaradhna, Betty-Anne Hall, the voice of Ardjiah, Che Fu & The Krates, Corrella, American band The Elovaters, Ladi6, Son & Water.

Shadbolt says the collaboration between acts reflects a shared respect built over years in the industry.

“The Corella team have got an incredible lineup of three frontmen, three of them at the front sharing that load, which is really cool to watch that kind of yin and yang between the three of them,” Shadbolt says.

8TH WONDER poster and full artist lineup. Photo/Loop

Campbell says touring alongside L.A.B helped Corella’s own growth as a band.

“Getting to tour with them and watch how they work, the professionalism, the musicianship,” he says.

“I remember one time before a tour, we were like, ‘Yeah, we've really got our stuff in one stop...and then we watched L.A.B and like, ah, we still got a little bit to go.

“But, it's cool to have someone to look up to and to drive you to be better."

Set on the shores of Lake Rotorua, the festival will also showcase local food and culture with organisers partnering with Little Big Events to bring vendors and market stalls to the lakefront.

Earlybird tickets have already sold out with demand building ahead of the inaugural event.

The festival is going international in its very first year, kicking off at Rotorua’s Village Green on 23 January 2027, before crossing the Tasman to Brisbane's Eatons Hill Outdoors the following weekend.

Tickets are available now at 8thwonder.live.