Elton John & Laneway Cancelled As Floods Cause Chaos In NZ

Over the weekend, two major events were cancelled in Auckland, New Zealand, with Elton John's long-awaited concert stopped less than half an hour before he was due to take the stage, and Laneway halted two days before the event took place today.

On Saturday, a record-breaking 249mm of rain fell over 24 hours in Auckland, smashing the previous record of 161mm, leading to significant flooding and the deaths of three people, with another person missing, Associated Press reported.

Despite the weather conditions, thousands of people flocked to Mt Smart Stadium to watch Elton John on Friday night. Organisers reportedly didn't cancel the event until fifteen minutes before John was due to take the stage. 

"For the organisers to drag it on, they knew what the weather was like, is appalling. I’m in the Uber now; we’ve driven through floods getting home," concertgoer Susannah Shackel commented to Stuff. "I don’t care about the money. The danger that they’ve put people in is pretty bad form." The Saturday Elton John concert was also cancelled.

John also shared that he was "absolutely heartbroken" by the cancellation.

Laneway Festival in Auckland would have taken place today, but that was also stopped. "Unfortunately, due to the unprecedented weather event in Auckland we have made the heartbreaking decision to cancel Laneway Festival," organisers wrote on Saturday.

They added, "We were so excited to deliver this show to our biggest crowd ever in New Zealand, our team has been working around the clock to do everything they can to salvage the site, but the damage and disruption caused by the weather has meant that it is no longer safe to proceed."

Ticketholders will be refunded automatically this week via Ticketek and Ticketmaster. 

Stuff has also reported that the following events have also been cancelled: Fatboy Slim, One Love Festival and Festival One.

Laneway Festival kicks off in Australia this Saturday in Brisbane. The line-up boasts the likes of Joji, Fred Again..., Phoebe Bridgers, Finneas, The Beths, Yard Act Slowthai, Turnstile, 100 Gecs, Girl In Red, Chaos In The CBD, Knucks, Ross From Friends, HAIM and Logic 1000.

Locally it also features the incredible Adam Newling, The Backseat Lovers, Harvey Sutherland, Jacotene, jamesjamesjames, Logic1000, Sycco, Tasman Keith and The Lazy Eyes.