Crankworx Rotorua is New Zealand's premier mountain bike festival and one of the most significant stops on the global Crankworx World Tour, held each March in Rotorua — a city that has established itself as one of the world's great mountain biking destinations. Over several days, the world's best mountain bikers converge on the trails of the Whakarewarewa Forest for a programme of competitions, demos, free rides and community events that celebrates mountain biking culture at its most elite and its most accessible.
Rotorua's mountain bike trail network is internationally renowned, built through the Whakarewarewa Forest on the edge of the city and offering trails for riders of every level across extraordinary terrain. Crankworx brings the global mountain biking community to this network, with competitions including slopestyle, downhill, enduro and pump track disciplines that showcase the skills of the world's finest riders in front of passionate crowds.
For mountain biking enthusiasts, Crankworx Rotorua is a pilgrimage — the chance to watch elite riders on world-class trails in one of New Zealand's most distinctive cities. For visitors who have never followed mountain biking, it is a revelatory experience — fast, technical, spectacular and deeply embedded in Rotorua's outdoor culture. The combination of elite sport, community spirit and the extraordinary setting of the Whakarewarewa Forest makes it one of New Zealand's most exciting annual sporting and cultural events.