Synthony has become a global phenomenon – this weekend’s festival in Auckland Domain will showcase new music, which will feature in top European and US cities later this year.

A small city is sprouting in the Auckland Domain for the biggest one-day music festival in Australasia.

And on Saturday, more than 35,000 fans are expected to fill the lower and upper fields of the park for the fourth annual Manuka Phuel Synthony Festival, with its promoter promising the biggest production yet.

More than 35,000 people are expected at the Auckland Domain for this Saturday's Synthony Festival.

“Event promoters are a bit like property developers – once they’ve built a big flash building, the next year they want to build an even bigger, even flasher building,” says Duco Events founder David Higgins.

“And with an event like Synthony in the Domain, no matter how much you want to limit yourself, you end up investing more and more into the staging.

“This year, 2026, we’ll have the biggest production investment that Synthony has ever seen. There will be the mind-blowing expanse of the LED screens, laser lights, sound equipment, four delay towers and the biggest stage we’ve ever done.”

Both the main stage and the second, DJ stage host a range of top music acts and major drawcards from mid-afternoon, including Kiwi musicians Kaylee Bell, The Exponents, Nice ‘n’ Urlich, Shapeshifter, and The Black Seeds.

Jordan Luck and The Exponents.

Australian electronic music duo Peking Duk hit the main stage at 6.40pm and the Synthony set starts at 7.40pm, with Higgins promising surprises.

“We’ve doubled the content creation budget. There’ll be a world-class show accompanying the music – something really special that we haven’t really seen before. We’ve got a special show.”

'We've got a special show,' says Duco Events founder David Higgins.

The cost of that alone is in the low millions.

That content will then be used around the world.

“I see it as capital investment,” says Higgins.

“We use Auckland, which is where Synthony was born and bred, like an R&D engine to make a new show. So there’ll be a new setlist with new tracks. We’ve made a new set of orchestrations and a new visual laser lighting show. And that capital investment can then tour around the world – people in Las Vegas will see that show later in the year.”

Duco Events' Nicky Wall (left) and David Higgins, in front of the main Synthony stage, under construction at Auckland Domain.

Synthony’s global push

Synthony will appear in some 40-50 locations around the world this year, following a successful foray into 12 European locations in 2025.

This year Synthony will venture to 26-30 European cities, including Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Cologne, Hamburg, Berlin, Munich, Zurich, Geneva, Vienna, Paris, Amsterdam, Prague, Krakow, Warsaw, Barcelona, Madrid, Rome and Milan.

Synthony will also venture to London for the first time, with a famous venue pencilled in. “We’d love to do Royal Albert Hall,” says Higgins. “That’s a bucket list - like the Sydney Opera House, which we performed at in December last year.”

WATCH: SYNTHONY ON THE STEPS OF THE SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE:

Synthony will also debut in the US, with shows already confirmed in New York, Denver, Tampa and Las Vegas.

“We’re breaking a whole lot of cities and markets,” says Higgins. “The goal is to become the world’s biggest covers act and we seem to be well on our way.”

Higgins paid tribute to his Duco staff, including Nicky Wall and Craig Cotton, for their work in pulling Synthony together.

As some 35,000 fans pour through the gates on Saturday, Higgins will be purposely mingling with them, and not behind the scenes, to ensure he has the same experience as everyone else.

He says he enjoys having the Domain as the venue - “it’s not a concrete jungle” and it’s central for much of the fanbase.

Higgins himself has come a long way since establishing Duco more than 21 years ago.

“If you hone your craft at something – it’s a good lesson for young people – once you find something you like or are good at, whether it’s being a plumber, a builder, whatever, and it feels right, try to be the best in the world.

“If you spend 20 years at something trying to be the best in the world, the financial rewards should follow.

“In my case, I’ve had my ups and downs, but I’ve kept at it.

“The rewards have come when I looked after myself and backed myself. I feel a bit of serenity now, but it wasn’t always that way. It’s been a bit of a roller coaster along the way. It’s a fun business.”

Gates open at 2.30pm on Saturday, with music starting at 2.45pm, and the main Synthony set at 7.40pm.

Synthony by the numbers

• 35,000+ fans attending
• 2500+ working staff, crew and artists
• 7km of fencing
• 40 tonnes of production equipment
• Sound, lighting and staging alone to the tune of $1.8 million in production  
• Gigantic 470 sq/m of LED screens (100 sq/m more than 2025)
• 350 lights
• 16 lasers
• 75,000 litres of water to keep attendees hydrated
• 20 light towers  
• 13 days to pack in/pack out
• 22 refrigeration units
• 500 toilets/125 luxury toilets  
• 1000sq/m of turf protection
• 55 food vendors
• 20+ sponsor activations

Synthony timetable - main stage

2.30pm: Gates open

2.45pm: Made You Look

3.15pm: Kaylee Bell

4pm: The Exponents

4.35pm: Nice ‘n’ Urlich

4.55pm: Shapeshifter

5.45pm: The Black Seeds

6.40pm: Peking Duk

7.40pm: Synthony

9.25pm: Hot Dub Time Machine

10pm: Faithless

WIN VIP PASSES

In association with Synthony, the NZ Herald has two double VIP passes to win. To be in the draw, please email [email protected] by 5pm Wednesday with your full name and contact details. VIP ticketholders must be over the age of 18.

Tickets for Synthony are available at the Synthony website or at the gate.