A new summer music festival is set to make its mark in Queenstown this January - with more than just great tunes, food and wine.

The Valley, debuting on 24 January at The Church in Gibbston, is the latest event from the team behind Wānaka’s much-loved Ripe Festival. While it may be new to Queenstown, its philosophy is well proven: great events can give back to the places that host them.

In a significant partnership announcement, The Valley will donate 50% of its ticket fees to Love Queenstown, supporting local environmental initiatives across the district.

Ripe Festival, meanwhile, is supporting both Love Wānaka and WAI Wānaka, reinforcing a commitment to investing directly in the communities that make these festivals possible.

Nathan White, of Ripe Events, says the decision was a natural extension of how Ripe has operated since day one.

“With Ripe, we’ve always donated to community initiatives,” he says. “By starting an event on the Queenstown side of the hill, it felt right to support something Queenstown-based. It’s a sign of appreciation for the place and the people who host us.”

Combined, the two festivals could raise as much as $10,000 through ticket fee donations in 2026 - funding that will be distributed through Love Queenstown and Love Wānaka to projects delivering real environmental and community impact.

While the charitable contribution is important, sustainability is equally central to the way The Valley is being delivered. Like Ripe, the festival is designed as a zero-waste, single-use-free event, challenging the traditional reputation of festivals as high-impact, disposable experiences.

“We know festivals often get a bad name for waste - and sometimes that’s fair,” Nathan says. “So, from the start, our goal has been not to add to the problem, but to try and move things in a better direction.”

At The Valley, that means reusable cups for every attendee, thousands of reusable plates and stainless-steel cutlery, and a requirement that all food vendors use the shared reusables rather than disposable packaging. Coffee will be served exclusively in reusable cups, and all food waste will be separated and diverted from landfill.

To help deliver this at scale, The Valley is partnering with Without Waste, a specialist contractor focused on on-site waste sorting, education, and reuse systems. Plates and cutlery will be collected, sorted and washed post-event, ensuring materials are reused again and again rather than discarded.

It’s an approach that has already proven successful at Ripe, where nearly 90% of waste was diverted from landfill at the most recent event – a figure the team is aiming to improve year on year.

Nathan says festival-goers notice the effort and respond positively.

“People really appreciate knowing they’re not leaving a massive impact behind,” he says. “When you see how much work goes into doing it properly, there’s a lot of respect for that.”

Beyond sustainability, The Valley is shaping up as a quintessential Central Otago summer celebration.

The 2026 lineup features some of Aotearoa’s most respected music acts - Kora, The Black Seeds, Reb Fountain and Hollie Smith, along with local support acts.

Ripe Events has partnered with Central Otago's Scapegrace, Canyon Brewing and Mount Edward wines for refreshments, paired with local food trucks, all set against the iconic Gibbston landscape.

The festival also has a strong community focus, with local groups involved in event operations and fundraising, and transport options designed to reduce traffic and make it easy for people to leave the car at home. Whakatipu Rowing Club members will be manning the car park, with donations made to the club.

Looking ahead, Nathan sees the 5000-capacity festival becoming a fixture on the summer calendar.

“This will definitely be an annual event,” he says. “We’re starting carefully, but the vision is to grow it into one of New Zealand’s standout festivals .”

For Love Queenstown and Love Wānaka, the partnership is a reminder that events can play a powerful role in supporting a more regenerative visitor economy – one where enjoying the region also helps protect it.

Ash Bickley, Community Fund Coordinator for Love Wānaka and Love Queenstown, says: “We’re so thrilled to be working alongside Nathan and the team. They’re not just creating a great experience – they’re thinking carefully about their footprint and choosing to reinvest back into the community in a meaningful way. When events lead with values like this, they help reshape what success looks like for our region, and they show that celebration and care for place can go hand in hand.”

Since launching in 2023, the funds have distributed more than $145,000 in grants, planted over 8,500 native trees, and supported freshwater protection, biodiversity projects, and zero waste campaigns – with 20% of contributions invested into an endowment fund to secure long-term impact.

Find out more about The Valley and book your tickets here:  https://thevalleyfest.nz/