2026 is the first time Ultra Music Festival was held in New Zealand! I jumped on board to attend. Hosting an international brand’s event like Ultra is a massive milestone for the New Zealand festival scene!
Getting Tickets to Ultra New Zealand
There are tiers of pricing, increasing each time allocations are exhausted for the prior tier. Two tiers sold out on release for the first year, but the rest only sold out after the line up for the event was released.
Once the event is sold out, you’ll be able to join a waiting list. Alternatively you can keep an eye out on Facebook ticket resale groups – but be wary of scam sellers.
Keep updated on when official tickets go on sale next year through the Ultra New Zealand Website.
Where to Stay in Wellington
To be close to the festival you’ll want to stay somewhere central and close to the Wellington waterfront. However, pricing for accommodation definitely surged for the dates of the event.
Check out accommodation options through Booking.com below:
Getting to the festival
If you choose accommodation in the city centre, you’ll be able to walk to the festival. If you’re out of the CBD, public transport like buses and trains are available before and after the event.
Uber is also available if you’d prefer to get there without the admin of trying to figure the transport system out. Surge pricing is ridiculous to get to and from the waterfront, but if you don’t mind a walk, play around with drop off areas in the city centre and you could get a cheaper fare.
The Festival – Ultra New Zealand
Ultra was spread out across Wellington’s waterfront. GA entry into the festival around 5pm had about a half an hour wait, I felt there could have been some better triaging from security staff, or more fencing to make the longer lines more clear.
There were four stages, each with slightly different style of music. Because the waterfront is an established walkway, I enjoyed that all the stages were easy to get to, with defined entry and exit paths. Plus, there was still enough space between them that each stage had its own area, sound & feel.
Food & Drink
Food trucks and bars lined up along the entire waterfront between the smaller stages, making it easy to get snacks while running between different acts people want to see.
Oasis
This stage had a lineup of entirely local artists – great to see homegrown talent.
Resistance
A small stage near the GA entrances to the festival, this stage was for house and techno lovers, with visuals projected behind the stage onto the back of Te Papa.
UMF Radio
The second biggest stage of the festival. Had surrounding scaffolding creating an upper level for VIPs. LED lights created the atmosphere of an outdoor nightclub.
I spent most of my time between here and the main stage – and some of my fave acts of the night at UMF Radio were Nightmre, Alison Wonderland B2B Quix
Main Stage
For the mainstream artists, the stage was stacked with lights and lasers. It pulled together an awesome atmosphere for over 20,000 people to enjoy!
Zedd was hands down the best act of the night, bringing out plenty of nostalgic tracks with all the visuals.
Thanks for Joining me on my Journey!
Windy Wellington is a creative city – there’s consistent nightlife on Cuba street, plenty of aesthetic cafes and a lot of artful experiences, especially with it being home to Weta Workshop and World of Wearable Arts. Check out my blog post of a previous visit to learn about more sights to see here!
