Ultra Music Festival is coming to New Zealand in April. To be specific, in Wellington on April 10th. The event will be a full-scale Ultra, with three stages (and a fourth for locals), rather than a Road To Ultra variant, which many new locations tend to test the market with. This is Ultra’s debut into the country, which has notably lacked a real “EDM” focused festival, until now. Ultra Australia has been across the water for many years now, and given the dates, it seems the pair will line up to create similar lineups – saving each other travel costs for their lineups.
The reason today’s news comes to light is that the NZAE (New Zealand Events Association) has awarded Ultra Music Festival – New Zealand funding. $4.5 million NZD has been allocated across a number events in order to drive spending into the local economy.
“Today’s acts and events are just the start, offering something for hundreds of thousands of fans and visitors, along with a big boost to New Zealand’s economy,” Louise Upston (Tourism and Hospitality Minister) says.
“Among the highlights, American rockers Linkin Park will play in Auckland, Ultra Music Festival brings its Miami-famous electronic dance music to Wellington”
Upston continued, “Today’s lineup brings some very exciting acts and invests around $4.5 million. There’ll be many more names – including star international acts – announced early in 2026, along with support in our regions. This first round is an integral part of our $70 million Major Events and Tourism package, designed to drive economic activity and confidence. In total, we’ll be supporting over 70 events, either directly or indirectly, through the Events Attraction Package and Events Boost Fund.”
New Zealand’s Ultra Music Festival was awarded under the Events Attraction Package, alongside Linkin Park and FIFA Series, indicating it’s on a larger scale and is provided more funding rather than the Events Boost Fund awarded to other events.
The description for the event reads: “For the first time, one of the world’s most iconic electronic dance music (EDM) festivals, Ultra Music Festival, will take place in New Zealand. Scheduled for Wellington Waterfront in April 2026, the event will feature both local and international DJs performing across multiple stages. Originating in Miami, Florida in 1999, Ultra has grown into a global brand with festivals in major cities worldwide. Bringing an internationally recognised music festival to New Zealand for the first time offers strong appeal to a wide audience and is expected to attract significant local and international interest.”
You can view the full document of the fund recipients here.
Touring company Audiology will be the local promoter for the event, after teasing said event on Instagram. Mitch Lowe, Founder of Audiology Touring, says bringing a festival of this calibre to New Zealand’s shores is a huge milestone for the nation’s music industry. “Securing the rights to Ultra Music Festival for such an iconic venue in Wellington is a dream come true. After 17 years of delivering hundreds of shows across Aotearoa, Audiology Touring sees this partnership as the pinnacle of our journey.”
The Ultra New Zealand line-up will be announced on Wednesday, 10 December, and tickets will go on sale on Wednesda,y 17 December.