The Wiggles are coming to Tauranga – and they’re headlining the Bay’s newest music festival.

Anthony, John, Tsehay and Dorothy the Dinosaur (aka DJ Dorothy) of The Wiggles will be performing at the Sound System Dance Party at Baypark Arena on January 5 at what the promoter believes is New Zealand’s first dance festival for young children.

The Wiggles will be joined by DJ Lenny Pearce, the artist who rose to fame by remixing children’s songs as techno beats and producing The Wiggles’ Sound System: Rave Of Innocence album, as the supporting act. Other guests will also be announced.

The Tauranga festival is the brainchild of promoter Mitch Lowe, well-known for other major festivals including Bay Dreams, Mardi Gras and Soundsplash.

The Wiggles are coming to Tauranga. Photo supplied.

Lowe decided to include children’s events in his repertoire after becoming a father to 4-month-old daughter Kya, who is also the namesake of the children’s events branch of his business.

“I’ve been promoting for 15 years and I started to think more about children’s events and, as she grows up, I thought it would be awesome to have that side of the business to do events that cater to kids.”

Lowe said the mini-festival had been planned with families in mind. The six-hour event would start after lunch and finish around dinner time, and Lowe said he had kept ticket prices as affordable as possible.

“We’ve done R18 events for 15 years so we asked for a lot of opinions from families and we used that feedback. You can come and you get lunch at the village, you can play games, and you can watch different acts.

“It’s more than a concert. It’s sort of like ... a baby rave is what we’ve been jokingly calling it, but I actually love the term. They’re quite big in Europe and we wanted that dark, full production with visuals inside and the sort of festival feel outside.”

Mitch Lowe, his wife Ezel, and their daughter Kya. Photo / Libby Latif Photography.

The music was “not the traditional Wiggles” and would appeal to adults as well.

“It’s more like the dance version of The Wiggles. I think it’s very unique – but unique is exciting.”

The summer holiday period was a busy time in the Bay of Plenty but Lowe said most events catered mostly for adults.

“I was motivated by many things for this, obviously my daughter being the main one, but we live in a holiday destination and everything is catered to adults and I just wanted to do something for kids. It’s the time that people go away, they spend a week down here at the Mount, they’re at the campsite or at the Airbnbs. The kids get to play, they go to the beach, but there’s nothing really targeted to them at that time.”

Lowe said he had fond memories of being taken to events as a young child and believed every child should have an opportunity to do the same.

“I look back at my childhood and my dad took us when I was really young to WWE with the Undertaker and Shawn Michaels and all those legends. I still remember being a toddler and my dad taking me to that. It has stayed etched on my mind forever.

DJ Dorothy. Photo supplied.

“That’s what motivated us to create these moments for people, especially in our hometown.

“This is a test case but hopefully it will become an annual event on the same day each year. That’s the goal.”

The “mini-festival” will run from 1pm until 7pm on Sunday, January 5, 2025, and have indoor and outdoor entertainment including games and food and drink options. Tickets will go on pre-sale at 7pm on August 19 and general release at 7pm on the 21st.

Tickets cost $59 or $199 for a family pass (four people). Festival goers who buy their tickets in August will get a gift at the door.

Buy tickets at kyaevents.co.nz.

- Bay of Plenty Times