There’s a lot to love about music festivals in the Aotearoa summer. We're talking racing between stages to catch the next band, blowing off some steam on the dancefloor, and picking out a slick outfit to do it all in.
Then, there’s the task of snapping all of the above. It might be to share to social, or maybe as a digital keepsake. We’re not here to decide that for you, but we will give you the lowdown on our fave new gadget helping us to snap up this summer: the motorola razr 50 ultra.
It’s a smartphone designed to help capture your summer plans perfectly, thanks to endless pro camera features. With the 4.0" external display, you can pretty much do it all without even flipping the phone open—check the line-up, pay for your drinks, and snap a selfie for the gram. That means more time to enjoy the actual festival. Not to mention, apart from being the ultimate fashion accessory, the razr’s compact, foldable design, makes it the perfect fit for small festival bags or pockets.
Together with Motorola, we’ve created the ultimate summer gig guide for NZ in summer 24/25.
Le Currents
27th December
A slice of Palm Springs nonchalance, yesteryear’s breezy festivals, and a dash of disco? Lock it in for your summer gig lineup. Anyone with good taste and nostalgia in their heart will love Taupo’s Le Currents festival at Owen Delany Park. Alongside the festival’s music and arts program, they’ve just released an official Le Currents Campground—perfect for you roadie-loving folk. Roll up your tent, or hunker down into their rather nifty glamping options.
Club Vestivus
27 December
Retreat from the chaos of Christmas and shake off the last of your ham coma by heading into the warm, glitchy arms of electronica at Hawke's Bay’s Club Festivus on the 27th of December. Electronica and dance is the name of the game with Sydney club scene darling Willo, UK Garage’s Sammy Virji, and Aussie CC:Disco taking to the stage.
Rhythm & Vines
29-31th December
*The* New Year's Eve festival on the hearts, minds, and group chats of Kiwis around the island, is none other than RNV. Think three days of partying, heaps of live acts, and plenty of stories to regale for years to come. This year, RL Grime, Peking Duk, and Pendulum are among the headliners taking to Gizzy. We hear there’s a special warm-up on the 28th as a reward for pitching your tents early too—talk about happy campers.
If you’ve been to RNV, chances are you’ve grappled with the ‘find my friends’ kind of apps somewhere in between the campsites, loos, and stages. Not to mention, you’ve chewed through plenty of battery life while doing so. So, it’s worth noting that the motorola razr makes this a touch less stressy. Flick a quick text to the group chat from the external display as you're navigating the festival chaos, go a full day and night with all-day battery life, and enjoy the freedom of wireless charging—how good.
Rhythm & Alps
30-31th December
The southern sister to RNV, Rhythm & Alps provides a slightly more mountainous take on the New Year’s Eve festival experience. Sure, it’s a couple of days shorter, but it's by no means less action-packed. Expect a fully-stacked lineup of local and international acts across all music styles—including local loves Aroha, Kadyn Webster, Shapeshifter, the UK’s Becky Hill, and Aussie neighbours Lime Cordiale.
Not to mention, you’ll be surrounded by Central Otago’s sweeping hills and mountains. Pretty and picturesque for Instagram, yes, but they’re to thank for the excellent wine that comes from this region—which you’d be rude not to get amoungst during your stay.
Coromandel Classic
4th January
You know a festival is a goodie when its location has ‘Luxury’ in its name. Yep, Coromandel Classic is taking place on Saturday 4th of January at Coromandel Luxury Escapes and it’s every bit as fancy as it seems. We're talking cliffside views, sleek glamping nooks, oh, and the likes of Kachafire and Cassö. This festie has got it all, so it’s only fair that you’ve got a crisp—some would say, razr-sharp—device to snap the details up.
Golden Lights
10th January
With a name like Golden Lights, you know it’s going to be a goodie. Held at Trusts Arena in West Auckland, Golden Lights is all about dance, dance, and more dance.
There’s a hefty dash of girl power making splashes in the headlines. Becky Hill for starters, with her rule-free take on pop. Jyoty and Girls Don’t Synch too, with local live duo Sachi and next-door-neighbour, Aussie Luude taking to the decks too.
Gardens
February 28th
If you’re itching for a throwback to the Dubstep days of the 2010s, now’s your chance. Skream is one of the headliners at Gardens 2025 (aptly held in Auckland’s Domain on Friday 28 Feb), and he’s reviving his rather iconic dubstep set for the occasion.
We know a cultural icon moment when we see one. We vote you go full steam ahead into 2010s aesthetic revival with a pop of baby pink lipstick and multiple dramatic flip shuts of your razr throughout the night as the dubstep bass drops.
Homegrown
14-15th March
Joining in the celebration of Aotearoa’s greatest music requires three things: a good time group, a summery outfit, and a trusty phone to snap it up with—because you know the crowd is going to go berserk for Sir Dave Dobbyn’s 'Slice of Heaven'.
Seriously though, because Jim Bean Homegrown is a two-day gig across a few stages, a decent battery life—and importantly— a good camera, is a must.
The motorola razr—well, it’s 50MP main camera and 32MP front cam—has all of the answers. The action shot feature will capture the pyrotechnics perfectly, while the 2x telephoto lens will help you capture the details on Lady Shaka’s always phenomenal outfits, and stash them away for style inspo later. Come twilight, the low-light feature will save your sundowner snaps and your Instagram stories the morning after.
For more on where you can get your hands on the ultimate gig-proof accessory this summer, visit here.
Editor’s note: this article was produced in partnership with Motorola. Thank you for supporting the partners who make Urban List possible. To read our editorial policy, click here.
Image Credit: Urban List.