The fanfare of Fieldays, beauty of Balloons Over Waikato and harmony of Hamilton Arts Festival Toi Ora ki Kirikiriroa.
Couture in the Gardens. Photo: Supplied
If you’re a Waikato local, or just about anyone in New Zealand, you’re likely to have heard of these iconic events, and perhaps attended them.
Along with other events showcasing our region, they attract tens of thousands of visitors and provide a great time for the scores of passionate locals who enjoy them, often with family in tow.
Nicola Greenwell
Growing, supporting and bringing new events to the region is a focus for our team at Hamilton & Waikato Tourism, and we’re seeing encouraging results.
The recent decision by Homegrown to relocate to the mighty Waikato after 18 years in Wellington is a big vote of confidence in what our city and venues have to offer. It’s a welcome homecoming for the festival, which began in Hamilton before moving south.
When the anticipated 30,000-strong crowd descends on Claudelands in March for Homegrown’s 2026 edition, it promises to be huge for Kirikiriroa.
Claudelands
Accommodation will see healthy bookings and the city’s retail and hospitality venues will be pumping as people pour into town in the morning before the bands begin to play, and then again in the evening to party into the night.
This year has seen continued growth in scale for many of our region’s existing iconic events. Fieldays attracted more than 110,000 people this year, and its popularity shows no sign of waning. When it returns to Mystery Creek next year, it will mark the 58th anniversary of what has become the Southern Hemisphere’s largest agricultural event.
Balloons Over Waikato and its Nightglow showpiece attracted a combined estimated crowd of more than 80,000 people this year, and it too has announced a 2026 repeat, along with a fresh new approach. Its growth means it will shift Nightglow back to Waikato University with the spacious grounds allowing for larger numbers and continued safety of attendees.
We can’t forget Hamilton Arts Festival Toi Ora ki Kirikiriroa either. More than 36,000 people attended festival events this year and organisers have confirmed it will be back on an even grander scale in 2026, thanks to the news it has been approved as one of the first two events to be funded by Air New Zealand’s new regional event partnership programme.
Funding makes a real difference, and as we close in on the end of another year, we’re determined to continue the momentum. We will be working to ensure Waikato feels the benefits of the recent $70 million announced by Government to help New Zealand secure large international events, grow existing events, incentivise international travel, and upgrade tourism infrastructure.
This national support for tourism and events is timely and critically important. With the support of local industry, there’s a real opportunity to make Waikato events even better in 2026.
Balloons over Waikato
