Musicians to Weave Magic Over Gardens

A huge array of talented musicians will be weaving their magic over the Botanic Garden’s Sound Shell for 22 consecutive nights this month.


ASB Gardens Magic, part of Meridian Energy Summer City, starts this Sunday 6 January with a gig by Wellington favourites the Warratahs, and ending with OdESSA on Sunday 27 January, the line-up covers a huge range of genres and no two nights are the same.

Wellington City Council Event Co-ordinator Melody Scales says ASB Gardens Magic is a not only a crowd favourite, it's also very popular with performers. "We're inundated with booking requests from bands every year and it's always really hard turning down enthusiastic and talented artists. One of my personal favourites, Sheba, whose ASB Gardens Magic debut is on Saturday 26 January, has wanted to be part of the series since she was 10 years old!"

Melody says that there's no such thing as a typical ASB Gardens Magic audience — the crowd composition can differ greatly from night to night, showing how broad the appeal is.

This year's line-up features many acts whose music is difficult to simply categorise. Gospel, country, jazz, funk, classical, blues, R&B, folk, rock, barbershop and more are covered.

The full line-up is: the Warratahs, Phil Costello and the Five O'clock Shadows, the Shenanigans, the Constituents, the Vipers, the Volunteers, Wellington City Chorus, Niko Ne Zna, Barefoot in the Sand, Shaun Preston, Good Laika, Mission Choir, Cold Fusion, Ginger Brown, the Beatgirls, Grupo Salsón, the Thomas Oliver Band, New Zealand String Quartet, Age Pryor and the Suspicions, Adrian Win and the Special Guests, Sheba and OdESSA.

As in previous years, the gardens around the Sound Shell will be transformed with striking multi-coloured lighting, designed by local lighting visionary Mike Farrand. The lighting installation will be added to over the course of ASB Gardens Magic so visitors are encouraged to attend as many nights as they can and watch the lighting effects grow.

Continuing the magical theme in the Botanic Garden, Fairy Trina and friends return to Meridian Energy Summer City with the Enchanted Tales storytelling season. Sessions run at 10am and noon daily from Sunday 6 to Friday 25 January, in the Dell. The Grand Fairy Ball will wrap things up in style on Saturday 26 January.

Meridian Energy Summer City information, including ASB Gardens Magic artist information, can be found in the brochures available now from locations across the city and on the Council's website www.Wellington.govt.nz