The value of big events to the region has been reinforced with NPDC’s TSB Festival of Lights and concerts at Bowl of Brooklands this summer racking up $21.2 million in total expenditure and injecting $10.9 million of GDP into the Taranaki economy.

Pukekura Park and the Bowl were filled with more than 170,300 excited locals and visitors making the most of the five-week free lights festival and two major concerts, Rock the Bowl and L.A.B, Stan Walker and Friends.

Independent reports from Business and Economic Research Ltd (BERL) for both the festival and concert series indicated that Taranaki would have hosted more than 36,000 out-of-region visitors, spending a total of 77,343 nights in the region.

New Plymouth District Mayor Neil Holdom says in a challenging year for big events across the country, it is pleasing to see the success of the local offering.

“It doesn’t surprise me as our events and venues team do a fantastic job, but the challenge is keeping up those high standards and each year, we receive great feedback from the mesmerising light installations and entertainment at TSB Festival of Lights and the line-up of music at the Bowl of Brooklands.

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“The world-class venues and events within our district continue to show off what we can do in our Sustainable Lifestyle Capital to cater for all types of audiences and creating amazing experiences for our people and visitors.”

Brylee Flutey, Venture Taranaki GM Destination, Te Puna Umanga Venture Taranaki says Major Events act as a critical regional attraction with visitors travelling from up and down the motu to experience such as these.

“Last summer was no different, with Festival of Lights, and the concerts at the bowl contributing to one of the busiest summer event seasons Taranaki has experienced, delivering a significant boost to our local economy, especially for the accommodation, hospitality, and retail sectors, while also positioning Taranaki as a diverse, vibrant visitor destination.”

TSB Bank CEO Kerry Boielle says the TSB Festival of Lights is easy for the bank to get behind because it generates so many positive outcomes for our community.

“When I was walking through the Lights this summer, I was struck by the magic that TSB contributes to. Watching parents and kids dance to the music under the giant disco balls and having so much fun, really made me feel a sense of pride for playing a part in making such an awesome event free for all to enjoy,” says Ms Boielle.

Fast Facts:

• The Bowl of Brooklands is Taranaki's largest and most iconic concert venue and was awarded ‘Large Venue of the Year’ by the Entertainment Venues Association of New Zealand in 2021.
• Situated within the award-winning Pukekura Park, the Bowl of Brooklands is a natural amphitheatre with a permanent stage over the lake and has hosted audiences under the stars since 1958.
• This year’s TSB Festival of Lights featured 13 light installations, outdoor movie screenings and 80 events and ran from 21 December 2024 to 26 January 2025.
• In 2022 the TSB Festival of Lights won two New Zealand Event Association Awards from their last season, including Best Government Event 2021 and New Zealand’s Favourite Event 2021 (as voted by the public).

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