Our Entertainment Lineup
BEERVANA IS A VIBE!
In 2026 we're changing things!
We're taking the bands and musicians off the stages and into the crowds with roaming musicians popping up around the concourse and bringing the sounds to you!
This is our boldest and most vaired lineup yet. With musicians, bands, theatrical performers and interactive entertainment all roving the festival.
Plus The Third Pint Theory Podcast is going to be recording live from the Festival on their own stage! Hear from some of the best brewers in NZ and the World discussing how to brew champion beers, the importance of lager, is this even beer? and more!
Expect the unexpected and try not to freak out when you turn the corner to find...
LIVE MUSIC
Wellington Sea Shanty Society
Aotearoa New Zealand's Most 'Sea Worthy' Shanty Group™, belting out traditional and original sea songs from Aotearoa, France, Spain, the UK and more since 2012. A 3-piece squall of squeezebox, git fiddle, and drums - expect rousing harmonies and raucous foot stomping.
Irish Session
A quartet of accomplished traditional musicians bringing blistering reels and joyful jigs, featuring Em Griffiths on fiddle, Richard Tait on banjo, Ceara McAuliffe Bickerton on whistle and flute, and Jonathan Berkahn on piano accordion. This is traditional Irish music at its finest.
The Swing Gigolos
A three-piece playing Dixieland, swing, and a few well-known tunes while roving through the crowd. Simon Bowden plays banjo (CL BOB, NZ Jazz Album of the Year 2001), Dan Yeabsley plays tuba (decades in the scene with Fat Freddy's Drop and The Black Seeds), and Lucien Johnson plays soprano sax (two-time APRA Best Jazz Composition winner). Expect a good time and a reason to move your feet.
Blue and The Vanas
Traditional bluegrass played rough, ready, and exactly the way it was meant to be. This 5-piece outfit from across the North Island brings together Nat Torkington on banjo, Kim Bonnington on guitars and vocals, Sam Frangos-Rhodes on mandolin and vocals, Laurence Frangos-Rhodes on guitar and vocals, and Rob Henderson on double bass. A set full of heart, harmony, and pickin' good times.
Warwick and the Wankers
A genuine one-man band - no loopers, no backing tracks, no drum machines, no bullshit. Warwick performs as a one-man three-piece, bringing blues trash and raw, sometimes hypnotic folk to liven up even the dullest of parties, with vocals, guitar, bass and drums all performed live and simultaneously.
Alpenklang
One of Wellington's newer ensembles, specialising in music popular in alpine regions - folk tunes, dances, and the occasional Schlager-infused waltz, all wrapped up with the spirit of craft beer and mountain cuisine. The band features Justin Firefly on guitar, Michael Costeloe on trumpet and accordion, and Andrew Laking on double bass, bringing a taste of the Alps to Beervana.
Murdur Wun
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ROVING & THEATRICAL
Timaru Associated Stunt Association
Bigger, Bolder, More Ridiculous
A fan favourite returns, and this year they're going bigger - now a full team of three stunt performers. Expect wild photo ops, more one-on-one punter interactions, big laughs, and even bigger stunts.
Seven Deadly Stunts
Rollicking brings the rock 'n' roll thrill of the circus sideshow to Beervana. Catch this crew popping up around the concourse with whip cracking, death-defying ladder balance, balloon swallowing, juggling, and fire (permit pending!). Blink and you'll miss it - these feats appear in a flash at key spots, so keep your eyes peeled.
Conrad Coom & his Gnome Donsy
A well-known Wellington street performer and artist associated with Cocky Street Theatre, famous for whimsical, giant-scale roving costumes and interactive acts at festivals like CubaDupa. Expect larger-than-life characters, playful encounters, and plenty of photo-worthy moments.
The Third Pint Podcast LIVE!
Join Michael Donaldson and Martin Bridges from The Third Pint Theory podcast at Beervana as they chat with some of your favourite brewers and get the story behind their beers
At Isle 18
