Alex Casey and Gabi Lardies dissect their Laneway 2025 experience. 

Gabi Lardies: Hi Alex :))))))) Congratulations on not getting sunburnt. Everyone I talked to at Laneway yesterday was braving the sun for one thing. Charli XCX. How was your brat experience?

Alex Casey: We will talk about the rest of the day later but you are absolutely right, brat was thick in the air (and emblazoned on many chests / hats) from the moment the gates opened. I saw so many girls with teeny tiny “brat” stickers stuck to their bare skin, but my all time favourite brat merch was bespoke Disney-themed ‘brat-a-touille’ T-shirts?! Which is all to say, everyone was primed to go fucking crazy when Charli XCX finally came out at 8.45pm on the mainstage, myself included. 

GL: That moment when the green banner dropped was just [chefs kiss]. 

AC: Wasn’t it just? The typography, the jump-scare bright lights, the roaming camera. 

GL: The girl was not fucking around. Hardly any chit chat and just hit after hit. Being a small person about 100 metres deep in the crowd, I was reminded that this larger than life party girl is indeed probably around my size. Most of my glimpses of her were via the big screen, so thank goodness she performs for the roaming stage camera just as much as for the giant amorphous pile of limbs and iPhones in front of her. 

AC: My partner rightly observed that she had the stage aesthetic and bravado of a professional wrestler, intended entirely as a compliment. She knew exactly what we all wanted from her, and it is truly remarkable that she pulled off the whole set with just herself, a microphone, and a small range of fonts. Powerful amount of hair, powerful ruffle skirt, powerful presence to behold. 

GL: Such an acute observation! Charli really is out there on stage presenting herself as a prized fighter. I too couldn’t help but notice that the entire stage presence could have bought a flight ticket with only hand luggage, surely her little top, skirt and banners would fit in a wheely bag, with a bit of space to spare for maybe 20 pairs of speedy sunglasses. I loved when she said “There’s a rumour out there… that I love to party.”

AC: That wasn’t the only rumour she was forced to address onstage – all day speculation had swirled about whether or not Lorde would join her for the ‘girl, so confusing’ remix, just as she had done at Madison Square Garden last year. Surely the home city summer festival is a slam dunk cameo, and everyone was frothing when the song started and Charli said something like “I’ve just realised where we are… this could go off”.

GL: When she said, that a little pin pushed up against my hopes to see the duo live together, because she seemed oblivious to the fact that sooome of us have been speculating about a Lorde appearance for months – like you only just noticed this is Lorde’s hometown? That didn’t bode well. The next few seconds were a bit of a roller coaster – first there was a quietly stated, “she’s not here tonight,” then “make some noise for the girl.” uhhh not a great choice of words. 

AC: From where I was standing I heard “she’s not here tonight” and then a deflated kinda “hrrrmph” from the crowd, but then “MAKE SOME NOISE FOR ELLA”. But then no Ella? Girl, so confusing indeed! Even when she didn’t come out at the start of her verse a part of me hoped she might still just be rushing through the rafters backstage.

GL: Lol, certainly made for an anti-climax, but I don’t think the crowd held it against Charli, we continued with our jumping and yelling along. I did find her set a little short – it was all wrapped up by 9:50, I thought we had another 10 minutes!

AC: Yeah, all was soon forgiven and forgotten, especially as there are so many reasons she couldn’t have made it (lost in head, scared to be in pictures). As much as I love all the huge dance-y hits – ‘Guess’ went particularly crazy as did ‘I love it’ – I also really loved the slow sad ones like ‘I might say something stupid’ and ‘everything is romantic’.

GL: ‘I might say something stupid’ is one of my fave songs :’) I’m so glad she played her emo hits. It’s good to have a touch of feelings in the party zone. 

AC: Speaking of feelings, I also gotta go on record and say that I was truly moved to tears by that damn Stranger Things guy (Djo) and his damn TikTok song (‘End of Beginning’). It wasn’t so much by the performance itself (in fact he seemed kinda begrudging about it), but mostly by seeing so many groups of girls arm in arm howling the lyrics. I’m definitely premenstrual here, but I was truly so touched to see everyone singing and having a nice time together, even if because of a weird TikTok song about melancholy found in a city 13,500 km away. As Charli would later say during her set: “I swear to god. This is the real shit. The important shit.”

GL: Ahahaha, I was not in the crowd, but from the little VIP platform, I saw the moment that song came on and the whole crowd put their (your) arms up and started to sway. Must be annoying for everyone to know just the one song. There was that similar singalong holding your friends vibe in the crowd for Clairo, especially, I think, during the two songs from the Immunity album she played – ‘Bags’ and ‘Softly’. I was brought to tears (from laughter) when she said something like “OK now I’m going to play a song you can really dance to, let’s lift the energy”. Then she played a song exactly the same as the rest of her soft-girl, sad-bedroom pop, and we swayed and sung along as usual. 

The performance was perfect, so beautiful, and I loved her capri pants. I would have preferred if she had performed at a different location, perhaps the stage by the lake with the trees. It would have been so nice to be able to sit in the shade and not have to pretend that her music is for bopping.

AC: You’ve brought up a crucial point here: shade. I was pretty bamboozled by the lack of shade available in the main areas, and the choice for the shade sails to be made of fluffy see through white stuff? Truly what is this material and why is it snow camouflage from army surplus?

I saw a lot of burnt necks and arms, which begs another question: why wasn’t there a free sunblock station at every water station? In fact, why isn’t there a free sunblock station on every street corner in this damn country in summer? A couple of free Malibu cowboy hats simply will not do. 

GL: The lakeside area, which was not properly signposted, was the only reprieve from the hot, hot sun and not because any sails had been installed there but because there were trees. I paid about $100 extra for a VIP ticket, mostly to ensure being able to sit comfortably in the shade. Alas, that was money wasted. I was on-site for about nine hours, and never in that time did I manage to get a seat under the tiny handkerchief of shade there. At about 3pm, before I had found the lakeside area, I had to sit on the floor by a pot plant to eat my pita in a corner of its shade. I was desperate enough not to care that my bare arse (miniskirt problems) was directly on the platform floor and leaving two puddles of sweat. I also expected that the VIP area would have had a sunblock station, but no. I really thought my friend was being OTT when she packed a super-sized Nivea bottle in her bag, but I think it saved my life.

Also – the water from the water stations was piss-warm!!!

AC: I was loving the piss warm water all day tbh, I realised when I got home that I think I left Laneway more hydrated and better-fed than any other day of my adult life. For lunch I got vegan dumplings from The Rolling Pin, so delicious that they compelled me to demand “we need to buy crispy fried garlic when we get home” in the middle of Remi Wolf. I got a Fatima’s pita and koftas for dinner, and Don McGlashan was in the line behind me eating a red-coloured cone of shaved ice! An incredible day of rich culinary experiences for all – although I’m told at least two places ran out of food during the 7pm-ish dinner rush. 

GL: MMMmmmm my lunch pita was a Fatima’s falafel one, so yum! The culinary delights ended there for me, and the VIP scam got me once again. There was one food truck in there, where we lined up for 20 minutes and then waited another 40 minutes for a rather doughy-pizza, which we did not finish between the two of us. Too much chewing!!!

AC: VIP giveth and it taketh away. We should probably wrap this up like a Fatima’s pita, what else would you like to say about your Laneway 2025 experience? I would like to shout out the crowd – extremely considerate and safe feeling vibe all day long, with absolutely no instances of macho aggression. I saw one guy kneel down near the trees and politely do a very small and silent spew before carrying on his merry way, but that was about as messy as it got from my perspective. 

GL: I rolled the dice by arriving at 1:30 to see Vera Ellen play. Happy to report I rolled a perfect full house flush double six pass me all the poker chips. They were so great! I had so much fun dancing to them and they’re my new favourite band even though I already own a T-shirt, AND I can report that though the lower back got a little sore, the 33-year-old-body made it relatively unscathed right through the day. Yippeee!

AC: I had been half joking that Laneway would be a day of DiScOvErY for me, but it truly was. I had heard a lot of hype around Olivia Dean but waited to see her live, and she was truly captivating. We then headed over the hill to see indie pop rock Eyedress, and I loved grooving out while the people next to me tried to figure out if their drugs were kicking in or not. “I just feel really chill,” one of them said. “It’s hard to know if it’s working… or if I’m just having a good time.” I can’t think of a more glowing review for a summer festival than that, tbh. 

Exclusive: The prime minister wants to end New Zealand’s ‘no’ culture. Duncan Greive looks into one big no: how a variety of agencies kept under-18s from Laneway 2025.

It was a deeply unwelcome Christmas present for the roughly 2,000 teenagers who had bought tickets to Laneway 2025: the festival was cancelling and refunding all their tickets after a licensing committee declined an application to have 16 and 17-year-olds at Western Springs. Charli xcx headlines a teen-coded lineup, also featuring beabadoobee, Clairo, Olivia Dean and more – but unlike the 2024 edition, which had special zones for underage attendees, the committee was unpersuaded by a new plan to have all attendees in the same area.

On the face of it, the decision is mystifying. Shows downtown at Spark Arena are typically all-ages, with alcohol sold throughout the venue. The same goes for concerts at nearby Eden Park. That same venue hosts day-long cricket matches, with alcohol available throughout the venue. A recent trip to SailGP saw open bars alongside young children. What made Laneway such a problem?

It seems connected to the “culture of saying no” which prime minister Chris Luxon used his recent state of the nation speech to rail against. In it he singled out the planeloads of New Zealanders who’ve taken their dollars to Australia to see concerts which couldn’t play in Auckland due to capacity constraints at Eden Park. But he could just as easily have been talking about Laneway, which has let under 18s into its Australian shows for more than 10 years, but cannot provide the same experience here.

The Spinoff has obtained the decision of the Auckland District Licensing Committee that denied Laneway and its youngest fans the opportunity to attend the 2025 festival. It runs to 21 pages, and involves a three person committee hearing arguments from eight people from five organisations in favour, and eight people from three organisations opposing. What follows is the anatomy of a single “no” – one that illustrates both the complex set of factors which go into making such a decision, but also revealing how difficult it can be to make something original and fun happen in New Zealand.

The document starts by laying out what St Jerome’s Laneway NZ Limited, to use their legal name, were seeking to do. “The Applicant wishes the event to be R16, with the bar areas designated as restricted, and the remainder of the site undesignated.” Basically they wanted all patrons to access the vast bulk of the site, with only the bar areas restricted to those aged over 18. This required a special license under 2012’s Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act. 

Under the Act, relevant agencies are asked for their perspective on the proposal, which would then be decided by the district licensing committee. These include an alcohol licensing inspector, police, and Medical Officers of Health (MOH). This is decided in a hearing with both the applicant and those opposing the license speaking to a three-person committee.

The case for ‘yes’

Up first was Rowan Ashton, the lawyer acting for Laneway, who tried to address the broad range of objections raised by those in opposition. He pointed out efforts to ensure under-18s would be highly visible to event staff, through the use of double wristbands, and that there would be a 1:100 security guard ratio, along with 13 “roaming teams” assessing intoxication. He concluded by saying that the agencies “appear to be philosophically opposed to allowing [16 and 17 year old] attendees at this festival”. 

Various members of the festival production then spoke to specific arguments they believe supported letting 16 and 17 year old patrons in. Data showed that over three quarters of Laneway attendees are women and 60% aged 18-24. St Johns reported 354 incidents across the day in 2024 – almost exactly the 350 they planned for, and comparable to other festivals. These were spread across almost 20,000 attendees. Most pertinently, just 11 incidents were due to intoxication, there were only 38 all-cause evictions and zero arrests across the day.

More specific data around alcohol consumption showed the festival – one largely attended by Gen Z women – mirrored global trends for that cohort. Studies show that Gen Z drinks around a third less alcohol than prior generations. The average Laneway attendee had 2.54 servings of alcohol during the 10 hours the bar was open, which compared favourably to other all-ages shows at the venue. 

The promoter also pointed out that in Australia, 16 and 17-year-olds have been attending Laneway for more than a decade. Of 115,000 youth who’d attended in that time, just five were formally reported as intoxicated. The same company assessed Auckland’s plans for under-18s and suggested that their plan would “effectively prevent youth alcohol procurement”. They also reduced bar frontage, added more duty managers and alcohol wardens, increased shade coverage and staff training.

Finally a representative from Red Badge, the festival’s security contractor, addressed the committee. He stressed changes the company had made based on last year’s festival. The committee quizzed him about widely reported issues at Juicy and Listen In – two festivals in different venues, with different promoters and different audiences. 

The case for ‘no’

All three opposed the special license, picking various criteria under the Act. All cited the object of the Act, which centres around safe alcohol consumption and harm minimisation. The inspector and police had the narrowest range of objections, largely associated with systems, staff and training and the lack of designated areas – which was the big change from 2024. The MOH had more objections than the other two agencies combined, including the “nature of the event” and the “suitability of the applicant”. 

The opposition were first represented by Michael O’Flannigan, an alcohol licensing specialist working for Auckland Council. He painted a very different picture of the 2024 event, based on observations from agencies in attendance. He described attendees “taking alcohol outside designated zones”, “significant preloading” in streets around the venue, “intoxicated patrons” with “inadequate water and shade”, resulting in long queues for water. This resulted in Laneway receiving two infringements for failing to meet license conditions. 

Two police officers spoke next. They rejected the comparison of music festivals to sporting events, saying “sporting events do not typically involve large groups of unsupervised teenagers”. They backed up the concerns about pre-loading, and raised further questions about Red Badge’s ability to perform security at the event, citing unreliability and casual staffing. They believed that the current plan could not prevent “social supply” of alcohol to minors.

Finally the Medical Officers of Health (MOH) spoke. These are people designated under the Health Act 1956 to represent the public health perspective. One disputed the formal identification of 11 intoxicated people provided by St Johns, saying they saw “a lot more” people intoxicated. They acknowledged the increase in shade, water supply and systems changes, but remained opposed, joining the police in singling out the danger of under-18s accessing alcohol through “social supply”.

The committee decides

The three members of the committee then went through the various objections point by point, with reference to the sale of liquor act. They dismissed a number of the agencies’ objections, including the officer of health’s issue with the “character of the applicant” and the “nature of the event”. They raised the “amenity and good order of the locality”, despite none of the agencies having flagged that problem, based on “abundant details and photos” of preloading, “alcohol litter” and urination. However they cautiously concluded that it would not be overly impactful on the local community.

They accepted, over the objections of the MOH, that opening the venue up to the Western Springs lakeside provided a large increase in natural shade, making a “chill zone”, while acknowledging that Laneway has quadrupled the available shade for 2025. 

The longest and most contentious area related to Red Badge. “[The agencies] do not trust that Red Badge has the capability to provide adequate security services… We concur,” said the committee. This was based on Red Badge providing a similar security plan to one they failed to deliver on in 2024. They chided the company for its denial that alcohol was passed out from restricted areas, despite photographs and video evidence they said contradicted the position. 

The committee again made reference to issues at Listen In and Juicy Fest, despite Red Badge’s assertion that Listen In had a challenging layout, and Juicy Fest attracted a different audience. 

Most of all, though, they cited preloading as “the major issue to manage. It happens at all events and seems part of the New Zealand culture. It is not the applicant’s fault, however it is its responsibility to manage the alcohol-related harm it creates.”

The committee ultimately declined the application based on two grounds. One was persistent doubts raised about Red Badge. The second was siding with the agencies over intoxication at the event. They acknowledged that St Johns’ assessment of just 11 people treated for intoxication was a low number, but believed the agencies’ reports of many more intoxicated people who didn’t seek treatment. 

A delicate balance

Reading the account of the hearing, it’s hard not to sympathise with both the promoter and the agencies. The promoter clearly wants to put on a great event, and has made meaningful changes in response to issues raised the previous year. The agencies have a very specific view of the event – one based not on pleasure or amenity but on the potential for – and actual – harm. 

This is a microcosm of New Zealand as a whole, the one Luxon sought to describe in his speech. There is an inherent tension between those who want to bring new events, businesses and experiences into the country, and those who deal with the consequences when something goes wrong. This was starkly laid out during Covid-19, with the debate over the undeniable public health win of keeping the virus out, balanced against the equally undeniable economic and social cohesion costs of the length and severity of lockdowns and mandates.

One line sticks out from this decision above all others. The committee did not permanently close the door on opening doors to under 18s in future. However, it sought to see “faultless security and intoxication management” before agreeing to do so. It seems an incredibly high bar, perhaps one which can never be reached. It begs a question which cuts to the heart of a perceived culture of no: can you give 30,000 young people the night of their lives, and be faultless?