Homegrown keeps rolling out the names for its 20th birthday, with nine more acts confirmed for the festival's second year in Hamilton. Nesian Mystik, Hollie Smith and fast-rising rock duo The Boondocks lead the new announcement, joining a bill that already reads like a who's-who of Kiwi music: Fat Freddy's Drop, Sir Dave Dobbyn, Shapeshifter, Gin Wigmore, Savage, The Exponents, Devilskin and Full Metal Orchestra.
The full new batch is a nice spread of sounds. Home Brew return after a two-year break, recently reunited pop-rockers Zed are back on a festival stage, and there's MT EDEN B2B EMWA, MYSHAAN, Lomez Brown and DJ Kane Hawkins rounding things out.
Two stories stand out. The Boondocks will play the Rock Stage just 12 months after entering Homegrown's emerging artist competition — a rapid rise the festival's chief executive Andrew Tuck puts down to hard touring and airplay on The Rock. He describes them as "New Zealand's loudest little band": two guys making more noise than most five-piece acts. And then there's MYSHAAN, a Hamilton local with a big national following, whose set in front of a hometown crowd should be one of the emotional highlights of the day.
For Tuck, the move north has a personal angle too. After 18 years running the event in Wellington, this year's first Hamilton edition was the first where his own whānau could be part of the preparations — and the Waikato setting clearly suits the festival as it heads into its third decade.
Homegrown lands on Saturday, April 3, 2027 at Claudelands Oval. General admission tickets and a limited run of VIP passes are on sale via the festival's website.
Why should a traveller care? If you're planning a New Zealand autumn trip, this is one of the country's biggest one-day music events, and 2027 marks both an anniversary and the festival's new home. Hamilton works well as a base: it's a short hop from Auckland, sits in the Waikato's food and farming country, and puts you within easy reach of the Waitomo Caves and the Hobbiton movie set at Matamata. Book accommodation early — a one-day festival drawing this line-up will fill the city's beds.
Details from NZ Herald Travel.
