Thousands of people will enjoy the Greenstone Gibbston Valley Summer Concert for one last time today.
The concerts have been running at the winery for 15 years, and more than 14,000 people are expected to attend today’s concert, which features performances from Cold Chisel, Icehouse, Bic Runga and Everclear.
Greenstone Entertainment chief executive Amanda Calvert said after 15 years of hosting the annual summer concert tour, Gibbston Valley Winery had decided to develop its property with areas of the winery no longer available for concert events of this scale.
"With the anticipated growth of the hugely successful Greenstone Concert Tour, Greenstone Entertainment are seeking a new home to meet their requirements."
Ms Calvert said it was working with Queenstown Lakes District Council as well as private individuals to secure "a new, suitable location for what is a undoubtedly the highlight of the Southland summer events calendar as well as generating significant business and income for the region as a whole".
"We have enjoyed 15 years of iconic performances and unforgettable memories at this incredible venue, and encourage people to join us today for one final dance at Gibbston Valley Winery."
Gibbston Valley Winery chief executive Greg Hunt said the idea began as a means to promote the winery, but as word of mouth grew, so did the concert.
"Really, the idea was to get people to come along, have a great day, enjoy a glass of wine.
"But it went well and as the years have gone by, I think we’ve had very few issues at all."
Mr Hunt said the area’s natural amphitheatre made for a good venue for concerts.
"There’s a huge cost up front.
"You hope the bands will be popular. You hope the weather will be great.
"Those things that you can’t control so much, so it’s not until after the event you actually know how well you did."
Mr Hunt said the "vibe" of the event was always well-behaved.
He had also enjoyed many of the acts who had played over the years, including Dr Hook, the Doobie Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd.
