McLaren Valley Festival Renamed Echo Festival

After organisers of McLaren Valley Festival had problems getting the necessary resource consents, they moved the event to Auckland’s Vector Arena and its surrounds Jan. 11-12.

As the festival had been named after its location – McLaren Falls Park in the Bay of Plenty – it was also decided to change the name to Echo Festival. It has added a second round of acts including Jamie XX, Courtney Barnett, Mac DeMarco, Elliphant, Beast Wars, Die! Die! Die! and Mel Parsons.

They join headliners Disclosure as well as The Flaming Lips, Alison Wonderland, Kurt Vile, Young Fathers, Phoenix Foundation, P-Money and Tiny Ruins. In all, 40 acts will play over the two days.

Festival director Paxton Talbot said, “Echo Festival for now must leave the green fields for an urban sabbatical, and follow many great festivals into the inner city. Echo will be a musical and cultural exploration with a line-up curated from the reaches of pop, rock, folk, electronica, psychedelia, blues, hip-hop, Americana, alternative and beyond.”