Mitch James and Ladyhawke to headline in 2025
Mitch James and Ladyhawke to headline in 2025 PRESS RELEASE: 21 November 2025
The Marlborough Wine & Food Festival has announced its much-anticipated line-up of New Zealand musicians playing in 2025.
Mitch James, Ladyhawke, Hello Sailor, Sweet Mix Kids and Jaydin Shingleton will grace the main stage. Local Marlborough musicians will entertain from the acoustic area, and the DJ collective Vinyl in the Vines will be back in the Groove Garden.
Loren Coffey, festival event manager, says that all entertainment has been carefully selected to fit the festival’s summery, celebratory vibe.
“Marlborough’s best wine and food is at the center of this iconic festival, with the live music across multiple areas rounding out the day beautifully,” Loren says.
“In the same way we curate more than 30 wineries and 20 food providers, we choose the performers very carefully, ensuring there is something to suit everyone – country, pop, dance, rock ‘n’ roll and eclectic vinyl DJ sets.
“We are excited to have Mitch James and Ladyhawke join the 2025 festival. Sweet Mix Kids are friends of the event – they have played several festivals and always bring something new and different.
“We are also delighted to have Hello Sailor on our 2025 line-up. They are also friends of this event – having played here many times since the Marlborough Wine & Food Festival began in the ‘80s, but not since 2012. This year marks the band’s 50th anniversary and we are excited for them to play their iconic Kiwi tracks,” Loren says.
Loren says the layout of the festival site at Renwick Domain allows for ample room to move among the many exhibiting wineries, food providers, Culinary Pavilion, Lounge and VIP marquee.
“People tell us they love the size and scale of Marlborough Wine & Food Festival. There’s enough to do and see, enough time to do it – and plenty of time to relax with something delicious to eat and drink. The live music creates an amazing atmosphere, and you can choose to get up front and dance, or sit back and enjoy it from where you are,” Loren says.
Mitch James
Ladyhawke. Image: Lula Cucchiara
Sweet Mix Kids
About Mitch James
Kiwi singer-songwriter Mitch James describes himself as ‘an everyday guy living an extraordinary life’. Priding himself on his authenticity and determination, Mitch has shared the stage with Ed Sheeran, Calum Scott, and chalked up millions of global streams along the way. He thrives in the element of surprise, showing up in places least expected, and always with a dash of cheeky humor.
About Ladyhawke
Ladyhawke’s debut self-titled album had its 15th anniversary in 2023, with the epochal ‘My Delirium’ defining the mp3 generation of that time. NZ Music and Aria Awards followed, alongside Brit, MTV and NME nominations. Ladyhawke continued evolving with 2012’s hypnotic ‘Anxiety’, 2016’s synthpop perfection ‘Wild Things’ and 2021’s multi-genre ‘Time Flies’.
2025 will see Ladyhawke traveling to Los Angeles to work alongside longtime friend and collaborator Nick Littlemore (Teenager, PNAU and Empire of the Sun) to create her fifth studio album. Ladyhawke 5 will be a dance album featuring artists like SACHI and Georgia Nott (Broods).
About Sweet Mix Kids
New Zealand duo Sweet Mix Kids have an electrifying array of Aotearoa’s sounds and styles and say that they bring ‘life to the nightlife’ and ‘bring the party to planet YOU’.
The DJ / producer act released a collaborative pop album Stargazing in October 2023. It’s described as a multi-genre album, mixing disco, funk, rap, soul and ‘various shades of EDM’ into 16 tracks. Sweet Mix Kids are as creative with their costuming as they are with their sound; festival-goers can look forward to seeing them in masks, eyewear and mirrored attire.
Hello Sailor
Jaydin Shingleton
About Hello Sailor
Much-loved New Zealand band Hello Sailor will play a one-off show at the festival, appearing as a ‘full sail’ plugged-in five-piece rock ‘n’ roll band. The 2025 Marlborough Wine & Food Festival show will mark the iconic band’s 50th anniversary and is dedicated to the music and memory of founding members Dave McArtney and Graham Brazier.
About Jaydin Shingleton
Jaydin is a proud Ngai Tahu artist who grew up in Westport with a passion for music sparked by the influence of his mother and grandfather. In 2019, Jaydin won the Norfolk Island Trans-Tasman Entertainer of the Year, the NZ Gold Guitar Award and New Zealander Entertainer of the Year. He was a semi-finalist in The Voice Australia in 2024.
Jaydin says he is ‘incredibly humbled’ by the love and support from audiences across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.
About the Groove Garden
The Groove Garden is a cosy zone where festival-goers can enjoy vinyl DJ sets by popular Marlborough DJ collective Vinyl in the Vines, comprising DJs Mr Slice, Dai and Boom on the turntables. Their genres are diverse – soul, dance and funk, punk, alternative and electronica, reggae, ska, swing, jazz, dance, indie, house, funk, soul and pop – but all sets carry the warm, analogue sound of vinyl.
FESTIVAL FACTS
Saturday 8 February 2025 at Renwick Domain on Uxbridge Street in Renwick
Celebrity chefs, authors and entrepreneurs Al Brown and Polly Markus will star in the Culinary Pavilion, creating dishes using local produce, alongside Marlborough local culinary heroes
In addition to the free demonstrations in the Culinary Pavilion, tickets can be purchased for a 50-minute Masterclasses
General Admission, VIP Retreat and The Lounge tickets are on sale now
Wine and food exhibitors are described on the festival website, with further announcements to come in December: marlboroughwinefestival.com/