{"id":334614,"date":"2026-03-17T21:47:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T21:47:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/334614\/"},"modified":"2026-03-17T21:47:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T21:47:08","slug":"synthony-festival-in-auckland-domain-35000-plus-fans-expected-for-biggest-show-yet-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/334614\/","title":{"rendered":"Synthony Festival in Auckland Domain: 35,000-plus fans expected for biggest show yet"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cAnd with an event like Synthony in the Domain, no matter how much you want to limit yourself, you end up investing more and more into the staging. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis year, 2026, we\u2019ll have the biggest production investment that Synthony has ever seen. There will be the mind-blowing expanse of the LED screens, laser lights, sound equipment, four delay towers and the biggest stage we\u2019ve ever done.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both the main stage and the second, DJ stage host a range of top music acts and major drawcards from mid-afternoon, including Kiwi musicians Kaylee Bell, The Exponents, Nice \u2018n\u2019 Urlich, Shapeshifter, and The Black Seeds.<\/p>\n

\" Jordan Luck and The Exponents.<\/p>\n

Australian electronic music duo Peking Duk hit the main stage at 6.40pm and the Synthony set starts at 7.40pm, with Higgins promising surprises.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve doubled the content creation budget. There\u2019ll be a world-class show accompanying the music \u2013 something really special that we haven\u2019t really seen before. We\u2019ve got a special show.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"'We've‘We’ve got a special show,’ says Duco Events founder David Higgins. <\/p>\n

The cost of that alone is in the low millions.<\/p>\n

That content will then be used around the world. <\/p>\n

\u201cI see it as capital investment,\u201d says Higgins.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe use Auckland, which is where Synthony was born and bred, like an R&D engine to make a new show. So there\u2019ll be a new setlist with new tracks. We\u2019ve made a new set of orchestrations and a new visual laser lighting show. And that capital investment can then tour around the world \u2013 people in Las Vegas will see that show later in the year.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"DucoDuco Events’ Nicky Wall (left) and David Higgins, in front of the main Synthony stage, under construction at Auckland Domain.<\/p>\n

Synthony\u2019s global push<\/p>\n

Synthony will appear in some 40-50 locations around the world this year, following a successful foray into 12 European locations in 2025. <\/p>\n

This year Synthony will venture to 26-30 European cities, including Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Cologne, Hamburg, Berlin, Munich, Zurich, Geneva, Vienna, Paris, Amsterdam, Prague, Krakow, Warsaw, Barcelona, Madrid, Rome and Milan. <\/p>\n

Synthony will also venture to London for the first time, with a famous venue pencilled in. \u201cWe\u2019d love to do Royal Albert Hall,\u201d says Higgins. \u201cThat\u2019s a bucket list – like the Sydney Opera House, which we performed at in December last year.\u201d<\/p>\n

WATCH: SYNTHONY ON THE STEPS OF THE SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE:<\/p>\n

Synthony will also debut in the US, with shows already confirmed in New York, Denver, Tampa and Las Vegas. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re breaking a whole lot of cities and markets,\u201d says Higgins. \u201cThe goal is to become the world\u2019s biggest covers act and we seem to be well on our way.\u201d <\/p>\n

Higgins paid tribute to his Duco staff, including Nicky Wall and Craig Cotton, for their work in pulling Synthony together. <\/p>\n

As some 35,000 fans pour through the gates on Saturday, Higgins will be purposely mingling with them, and not behind the scenes, to ensure he has the same experience as everyone else. <\/p>\n

He says he enjoys having the Domain as the venue – \u201cit\u2019s not a concrete jungle\u201d and it\u2019s central for much of the fanbase. <\/p>\n

Higgins himself has come a long way since establishing Duco more than 21 years ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you hone your craft at something \u2013 it\u2019s a good lesson for young people \u2013 once you find something you like or are good at, whether it\u2019s being a plumber, a builder, whatever, and it feels right, try to be the best in the world. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf you spend 20 years at something trying to be the best in the world, the financial rewards should follow. <\/p>\n

\u201cIn my case, I\u2019ve had my ups and downs, but I\u2019ve kept at it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe rewards have come when I looked after myself and backed myself. I feel a bit of serenity now, but it wasn\u2019t always that way. It\u2019s been a bit of a roller coaster along the way. It\u2019s a fun business.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"GatesGates open at 2.30pm on Saturday, with music starting at 2.45pm, and the main Synthony set at 7.40pm. <\/p>\n

Synthony by the numbers<\/p>\n

35,000+ fans attending2500+ working staff, crew and artists7km of fencing 40 tonnes of production equipmentSound, lighting and staging alone to the tune of $1.8 million in production \u00a0Gigantic 470 sq\/m of LED screens (100 sq\/m more than 2025)350 lights\u00a016 lasers75,000 litres of water to keep attendees hydrated20 light towers \u00a013 days to pack in\/pack out22 refrigeration units500 toilets\/125 luxury toilets \u00a01000sq\/m of turf protection55 food vendors20+ sponsor activations<\/p>\n

Synthony timetable – main stage<\/p>\n

2.30pm: Gates open<\/p>\n

2.45pm: Made You Look<\/p>\n

3.15pm: Kaylee Bell<\/p>\n

4pm: The Exponents<\/p>\n

4.35pm: Nice \u2018n\u2019 Urlich<\/p>\n

4.55pm: Shapeshifter<\/p>\n

5.45pm: The Black Seeds<\/p>\n

6.40pm: Peking Duk<\/p>\n

7.40pm: Synthony<\/p>\n

9.25pm: Hot Dub Time Machine<\/p>\n

10pm: Faithless<\/p>\n

WIN VIP PASSES<\/p>\n

In association with Synthony, the NZ Herald has two double VIP passes to win. To be in the draw, please email synthony@synthony.com by 5pm Wednesday with your full name and contact details. VIP ticketholders must be over the age of 18.<\/p>\n

Tickets for Synthony are available at the Synthony website or at the gate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cAnd with an event like Synthony in the Domain, no matter how much you want to limit yourself,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":334471,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[179373,51,6326,48948,156,5346,9517,5131,2082,78,111,139,69,1305,108041,9184],"class_list":["post-334614","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-35000plus","tag-auckland","tag-biggest","tag-domain","tag-entertainment","tag-expected","tag-fans","tag-festival","tag-for","tag-in","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-show","tag-synthony","tag-yet"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/334614","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=334614"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/334614\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/334471"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=334614"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=334614"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=334614"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}