While we have either invested in, or delivered, another strong summer of major events in Auckland – including the ASB Classic tennis, the hugely popular Auckland Diwali and Lantern cultural festivals, and another season of The Pop-Up Globe – much of our forward focus has been on developing a strong winter festival for our region.
Elemental AKL, which will take place in July, grew out of discussions with Auckland’s industry leaders during the development of Destination AKL 2025. There is strong belief Auckland has all the ingredients to be a world-class winter destination for domestic and international visitors.
Discussions with our industry partners unveiled some great ideas for new events, and a number of existing events were open to shifting their date or tweaking their event to align with the festival.
A range of 40 outstanding experiences have been brought together for July’s inaugural festival to celebrate and showcase Tāmaki Makaurau for the whole month. Some received funding from ATEED on behalf of Auckland Council, while others are receiving marketing support.
Elemental AKL will become an annual event where people will have an unforgettable and uniquely Auckland experience, from local food, beer or wine, to the region’s thriving arts and culture scene.
The festival will add another exciting element to our region’s visitor experiences and is an excellent opportunity to keep growing Auckland’s visitor economy in a sustainable way – benefiting businesses including accommodation, hospitality, and food and beverage providers.
We have had positive feedback from industry about our push to reduce seasonality in the local visitor economy, using major events and marketing activity to attract domestic and international visitors and really enliven Auckland in the low visitor season.