Wānaka could play host to an artist “in the sphere of Dolly Parton” at a music event mooted for next summer.

Alex Turnbull and Harry Gorringe presented their idea for a day-long concert featuring at least one top international act at Three Parks to the Wānaka Upper Clutha Community Board (WUCCB) today (Thursday April 18).

Alex and Harry are respectively the founder and general manager of the successful and long-running Rhythm & Alps festival, which takes place in the Cardrona Valley each year.

They said they envisioned a concert with somewhere between 10,000 and 20,000 people at the outdoor space between the Wānaka Recreation Centre and New World Three Parks.

Alex and Harry said they had been speaking with agents worldwide about possible performers.

“I don’t want to speak too much about which acts…but if you imagine in the sphere of Dolly Parton, something like that,” Harry said. 

“I think the impact of an event like this would be profound.” 

Alex said the artists they were looking at were “pretty high level artists that are worldwide icons or heritage icons”.

They pictured a one-day event with a focus on the 40 years and older market which would likely take place between late January and March.

“I think [the Three Parks site] provides a great opportunity to have something that is inside the confines of Wānaka, one that doesn’t require us to bus people long distances to events,” Harry said. 

The first concert would be a pilot that would test the viability of a returning event, they said.

Harry said the pair had approached Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) staff, who had recommended they speak with the board before formal planning with the council begins.

For the most part WUCCB members were broadly supportive of the event but said they would like to ‘iron out’ some details regarding transport, crowd management and the like.

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PHOTO: Supplied