Jim Beam Homegrown’s first event in Hamilton in April generated nearly $10million into the local economy across various sectors.
Andrew Tuck, Jim Beam Homegrown CEO brought Jim Beam Homegrown – Aotearoa’s largest all-Kiwi music festival, back to its Waikato roots after 18 years in Wellington.
New independent analysis by Fresh Info found the 2026 festival attracted more than 25,000 attendees, including 17,885 visitors from outside Hamilton, generating 24,648 visitor nights and $4.8 million in visitor spending across accommodation, hospitality, retail and transport.
Sean Murray, Hamilton City Council General Manager Destinations, said the event delivered benefits far beyond the festival gates.
“Jim Beam Homegrown absolutely delivered for Hamilton,” Murray said. “We saw visitors moving throughout the CBD and Claudelands precinct across the entire weekend, with strong spend across accommodation, hospitality, retail and transport.”
“It also demonstrated Hamilton’s ability to deliver major events at scale through strong planning, transport coordination, city activation and a huge collective effort behind the scenes.”
The festival’s move to Hamilton also sparked a wider programme of city activations, including Bridge to Homegrown, which transformed Claudelands Bridge into a pedestrian link connecting the CBD and festival site with live entertainment, food vendors and performers.
The report highlighted strong community support for the event, with 95 per cent attendee satisfaction and 93 per cent resident pride recorded.
Tuck said the response from fans and the wider Waikato community has created huge momentum heading into 2027, with more than 1,000 nights of accommodation already booked in the city for next year’s event.
“We always believed Hamilton was the right move for Homegrown, and this year proved it. What we delivered was just the beginning. The space, the layout, and the support from the city allowed us to take Homegrown to another level. We’ve got bigger plans for 2027.”
Limited Early Bird tickets for the 2027 event go on sale tomorrow, Thursday 28 May.
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