Twominds Festival: a guide to the ultimate music sensory experience

Words by Hannah Powell. Images Provided.

Everything good comes in threes, and this year, Twominds Festival is completing the trilogy with the third installment of its community-driven electronic music festival on 14 - 16 March 2025. Offering an all-you-can-dance with a twist, live music will be introduced to the lineup for the first time since it took root in Spencer Park in 2023.

Co-founders Corban Tupou and Dan Stewart are chomping at the bit to bring the iconic Ōtautahi event to life for a third time after not one, but two successful runs to a South Island crowd.  So what can we expect? 

“A playground for adults,” Corban answers from his kitchen stool in Melbourne. Based in Brisbane, Dan nods on-screen behind a cup of steaming matcha.

“Festivals are so awesome because they’re the one thing you can do where you have the freedom to be a little bit more expressive or a little bit more different than who you are in your normal day-to-day.

“That’s the thing we’ve always really liked and been inspired by,” Corban says. “It’s that feeling festivals create.”

A weekend of escapism in the final days of summer, Twominds Festival is located a walk away from the beach in a forested campground with hot showers, five stages, and plenty of space to boogie. Inspired by the environment in which they chose to host, Spencer Park is the perfect vessel for the Twominds Festival to take place. Music on the beach, a pop-up stage in the octagon toilet block…the possibilities are endless.

“There’s that special feeling in the air,” Corban explains. “The way people are dressed, the way people carry themselves, the antics, all the funny little moments…Twominds Festival is designed to be pure fun and expression and foster that connection between people and music.”

Each of the five handbuilt stages offers a different vibe, atmosphere, and genre of music, from deep house to liquid drum and bass, techno, breaks, funk, disco, and now alt-indie live music. 

Drawing on strong input from local venues and music collectives, punters can hop between The Terrarium (house and techno), the Flux Stage (dubstep, drum and bass), The Forest (Ferg’s Emporium and Tyan Haus), The Treehouse (live music and Craigslist Soundsystem), and The Lodge (late-night nightclub for a full-send kick-on). 

Headlined by IN2STELLAR, Lady Shaka, LSB, DRS, Midland and Sam Alfred, and featuring a smorgasbord of NZ, AUS, and UK DJs, bands, and visual artists, Corban and Dan ensure the diverse lineup is on-brand and to a tee. 

And it doesn’t just stop at music - festival goers can grab a new outfit or film camera from the market, some hearty grub from the food trucks, linger around the skate ramp, or lie on a shakti mat for some effective R&R.

“It’s not just dancefloors, it’s an adventure of experience,” Dan explains. “And, there’s some fucking great music.” Influenced by the local Ōtautahi music community, their involvement with Flux, Tyan Haus, and Ferg’s Emporium, the team’s boots-on-the-ground method never fails to succeed. 

And now, live music! From Ōtautahi stalwarts Goodwill and Holly Kimber, to There’s A Tuesday, O & The Mo, Honey For Jupiter, The Knews, Lunar Intruder, Sam Cullen, and more. A lineup strong in local acts, with some exciting guests from further afield, represents what many festival goers want to feel when a world turns on its head: a sense of community and a place to belong. 

“Between festivals that we’ve experienced, worked at, performed at, whether it be in NZ or around the world, Twominds Festival is kind of like the version of what we think a music festival should be,” Corban says. “Taking the best bits from our experiences and bringing them all back home into our backyard.”

“You can start slow or you can start fast…[go from] the afternoon with sunshine and a cold beer in your hand with the grass under your feet to the night, whether that’s ending up at a chill stage having a yarn with your mate or at The Lodge sending it Berlin-style,” Corban laughs.

“Outside of that, people can expect some new surprises to the festival this year,” Dan adds. “There’ll be music and activities on the beach provided by Scenic Sessions, a brand new hand-built Treehouse Stage, more quirky pop-up bars, a new late-night chill area, and more.”

For the Yo Vocal team, Twominds Festival is always a highlight of the summer festival season. From their first festival in 2023 to a raucous second, we can’t wait to get our two-step out for this year’s third event.