Rhythm and Vines is New Zealand's most iconic New Year's Eve music festival, held each year in Tairāwhiti Gisborne — the first city in the world to greet the new year's sunrise. Staged across three days from 29 to 31 December at Waiohika Estate Vineyard, it brings together tens of thousands of festival-goers for a celebration of music, summer and the symbolic beginning of a new year under the East Coast sky.
Since its founding in 2003, Rhythm and Vines has grown into one of New Zealand's largest music festivals, attracting major international and local acts across multiple stages. The lineup spans electronic music, hip hop, indie, and live bands, with the New Year's Eve countdown widely considered one of the most memorable festival moments on the New Zealand calendar. Camping among the vines, the vineyard setting and the electric atmosphere of welcoming the world's first sunrise have made it a rite of passage for generations of young New Zealanders.
Beyond the music, Rhythm and Vines reflects Gisborne's identity as a region of vineyards, beaches and East Coast culture. For visitors making the journey to Tairāwhiti, it is an opportunity to experience one of New Zealand's most distinctive festival environments — music, community and the natural drama of the first light of the new year.