The concert has been held for more than 15 years at Gibbston Valley Station, and Greenstone announced on the eve of this year’s concert it was on the move.
Initially rumoured to be looking at Robrosa Station, between Queenstown and Wānaka — the site of the annual Rhythm & Alps gig — the organisers this morning confirmed it was relocating to the 60ha Three Parks Outdoor Arena in Wānaka.
The move was driven by Gibbston's development plans. It is hoping to get fast-track approval for about 900 new homes, a commercial area and potentially a school on its land, meaning areas, including for carparking, may not be available in future years for concerts of that scale.
Under the existing consent, up to 18,000 are permitted at the site.
About 14,000 people attended this year’s concert in January, featuring Everclear, Bic Runga, Icehouse and Cold Chisel.
In a statement his morning Greenstone Entertainment CEO Amanda Calvert said they were "absolutely delighted to have secured Three Parks Outdoor Arena as our new home for the next five years".
"The expansion into Wānaka marks an exciting new chapter for us, and we're confident it will become a highlight of the South Island summer calendar."
According to the application, "future development of the Gibbston Valley Winery site has meant that this location is no longer suitable due to restricted carparking and bus drop-off options".
"The Three Parks Outdoor Arena site in Wānaka provides the ideal site for the Summer Concert event and ensures that the event can continue in the Queenstown Lakes district [and] will result in a direct benefit to the economy of Wānaka and the wider area and create employment."
The 2026 event is pegged to employ more than 200 locals.
Buses will be provided from Queenstown, Arrowtown and Cromwell to reduce traffic disruption and volume on the roads.
According to the application, the proposal will result in a "less than minor effect on the surrounding roading network".
Greenstone, which used to be part-owned by Gibbston Valley Wines, has long wanted to hold more than one event at the concert venue a year — in 2020 it applied to the Queenstown Lakes District Council for a variation of its Gibbston consent to hold up to five events a year.
Full dates for the 2026 Greenstone Summer Concert tour will be announced very soon, with the full artist line-up to be confirmed shortly after.
