Winner of the 2025 Best Entertainment Venue, Wynyard Pavilion has kept music at the heart of its growing success.
Nestled on Auckland’s vibrant Wynyard Quarter waterfront among the array of restaurants and bars is the dynamic Wynyard Pavilion. With a capacity of up to 750 people for music events, this versatile venue is officially among the best in New Zealand, having been crowned the winner of the OneMusic Best Entertainment Venue at the 2025 Lion Hospitality New Zealand Awards for Excellence in June.
Since its inception, it has carved out a niche by embracing music to transform the customer experience.
“I’m seeing a growing trend of bars and restaurants taking music more seriously, with the rise of ‘sound bars’ and ‘listening bars’ around Auckland,” said Alex Pearson, Wynyard Pavilion’s business leader.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, with international artists unable to tour, Alex and his team recognised a significant demand for live music events. What started as an opportunity to fill a void quickly blossomed into a full-fledged passion and contributed to its award win earlier this year.
“International artists couldn't tour, and we saw a huge demand for live music,” explained Pearson.
“We jumped right in, organising two events in about two weeks. It was stressful, but they went incredibly well, and things just blew up from there. I was getting emails every day to host more events; we did 43 in one year.”
Hosting and supporting local talent has always been a key part of the team’s success, such as Kiwi artists Mitch James and Cassie Henderson.
“Hosting these Kiwi artists playing at the venue is one thing, but they then hang around and talk to the guests afterwards, I’ve had lots of conversations with these guys and they’re really just down-to-earth good people, which is something New Zealand should be proud of.”
Whilst Wynyard Pavilion is an award-winning entertainment venue, music it isn't just for events. Music plays a foundational element of the daily experience down on the waterfront. “It wouldn’t be the same at all without music,” Pearson explained.
“Music plays a huge role. We have music playing right from when the team arrive in the morning all the way till the doors shut at the end of the night. It sets a huge vibe in the venue and adds to the experience massively”.
From spicy samba sessions to high-energy Bollywood events to a vibrant Latin Club, Wynyard Pavilion focuses on doing as many multicultural events as possible, with the idea to host a broad musical palette, catering for something to suit everyone.
Music plays a core part in how the business operates too, being used to tailor the playlist accordingly, to enhance and create an atmosphere for customers.
“After eight o’clock when people have finished their meals, it's a bit more upbeat, a bit more fun and we notice that people have more conversations, and that’s when they drink more cocktails”.
Having a OneMusic license has enabled the fair and responsible use of music at Wynyard Pavilion to create unforgettable experiences for customers.
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