Who are you excited to see at Splore 2026?
For DJ and music producer Half Queen - co-curator of this year's festival - it's Jamaican dancehall queen Sister Nancy.
Because it's hosted with such care, manakitanga and intention, Splore is unlike any other festival experience, says Half Queen.
Because she's attended and played many times, the international DJ felt clear on the "general kaupapa" required for the acts performing at Auckland's Tāpapakanga Regional Park on February 20-22.
"If you've been [to Splore], you understand the power of the setting. Because of that, when the artists are performing, they give a new level of essence… You leave it feeling really changed and having had a really unique experience with everyone there. It's just magic. It's truly magic. I can't wait until February," she tells Music 101.
Half Queen (here with RNZ's Kara Rickard) is counting down to Splore 2026.
RNZ
Aftera break in 2025, the Splore 2026 lineup - selected by Half Queen and long-time curator John Minty - features Norwegian electronic duo Röyksopp, and local legends Tami Neilson and Estère.
Half Queen's picks from the Splore 2026 lineup:
Miss Kaninna
Miss Kaninna (aka Kaninna Langford) is is the first independent Aboriginal woman to ever be nominated for a debut single at the ARIA Music Awards.
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Half Queen says that she and John Minty were keen to platform international Indigenous artists, especially women, on the 2026 Splore lineup.
Australian singer Miss Kaninna (famous for her 2023 hit 'Blak Britney' is "a bit of a rock star", she says.
"She just has that star quality of someone who's like a superstar on the stage."
Romi Wrights & The Commotions
Wellington soul singer Romi Wrights will perform with her band The Commotions at Splore 2026.
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The "phenomenal, powerful" Wellington vocalist Romi Wrights will perform with her band The Commotions - "a huge band of really prolific and well-known artists" at Splore 2026.
"I feel like that music is hard to come by in New Zealand - a band that feels full and really orchestral, but fun and dancey and jazzy and just a great show."
Christoph El Truento
Christoph El Truento's highly anticipated Splore set has been a long time coming, says co-curator Half Queen.
Phil Moar
"When I talk to people about this summer's Splore festival, they are, truthfully, the most excited to see [Auckland beat-maker] Christoph El Truento, who is one of the most prolific musicians and producers in the country.
"I'm so buzzing for that. I think it's been a long time coming. I think it's just going to be a chef's kiss on the beach."
Sister Nancy
Jamaican DJ and singer Sister Nancy is the highlight on the Splore 2026 lineup for co-curator Half Queen.
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For Half Queen, it feels "very, very special" that Jamaican dancehall queen Sister Nancy is making her Splore debut in 2026.
As one of the most important, influential artists to ever grace human history, she's also the woman behind 'Bam Bam' - one of the most sampled songs in the history of music and "the soundtrack of summer".
"I feel like every DJ has played 'Bam Bam' at Splore, so it just makes so much sense. There's something about the Caribbean flavour of music. She just is the personification of vibes."
A second drop of acts on the Splore 2026 lineup will drop in October.
