For starters we want to extend another meke as THANK YOU to all of the incredible humans who have contributed so far to the Save Twisted mission. Many dedicated crew members and artists have willingly forgone all or part of their fee/wages for last year’s event and many have offered to do the same for this coming event. We could not be more grateful to every one of you for this and it has resulted in a significant feeling of support and confidence to prepare our 2027 event. In addition to this, between direct donations and the huge number of fundraiser events that have been lovingly curated by our extended community, you have collectively donated over SIXTY GRAND. It was a difficult decision to put our hands out and ask for help and you have all come through with such immense generosity with both of your time and hard earned money and we are eternally grateful for this. It has been the fuel for us to keep the Twisted flame burning and keep pushing forward with confidence that we are carried by so many incredible individuals, who are as passionate as we are about keeping the festival alive for years to come! Creative New Zealand

Some more exciting news is WE GOT SOME FUNDING!!! Thanks to all the kind testimony you shared with us, the wonderful folks at Creative New Zealand have granted us 10k to be used specifically for community resilience. This means we will have access to professionals whose job it is to help us improve the financial viability of the project and also reshape the structures and systems that are the backbone of the fest. We’ve been working towards improving the proverbial “health” of the team, helping to reduce burnout and spread the load across more people ensuring better retention of the awesome people that make Twisted tick - this is a chance to really get that on lock.

Thank you Creative New Zealand <3 All that being said, we’re not quite home and dry.

With all this phenomenal news in mind, it's important for us to be clear that we are not out of the woods yet! All funds raised will act as a buffer to help offset any major upcoming difficulties.

The cost of living and rising costs of producing events in Aotearoa has meant anyone trying to put on gigs is facing a much higher risk in what is already a gamble at the best of times, large festivals even more so.

As you are likely aware, last year we saw ticket sales drop by around 1,000 compared to the years before, which has led to significant challenges (to say the least). BUT with your help we are seeing a light at the end of the tunnel!

Sales are looking great so far but the most effective thing anyone can do to help us keep the engine running is commit to spending your NY with us <3 Where we at cuz? We’re aiming to fundraise $120,000 to actually get us out of the hole and make Twisted’s future more tangible. Because of your amazing efforts so far, we’re already more than half way there!

Keep track of how we’re doing on the fancy new fundraising page on our website. Up to G? We are pulling out ALL the stops to help us get over the line and be able to comfortably charge on forward: Giz us a boost bol. To start with, we have just launched our first ever Boosted campaign! This legendary NZ crowdfunding platform run is by the Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi. Collectively they have raised over $16 million since 2013 for creative projects. If you are in a position to do so please donate here and browse all the other epic artists and creators doing cool things! Fresh Choons We have secretly been putting together a wicked array of compilations featuring a blend of some of the biggest names ever to grace us in the Cobb, alongside some fantastic home grown projects who have been on this journey alongside us. Keep an ear out for the first EXCLOOSIFF collection dropping soon, available only through the Twisted Bandcamp! Certified Drip After receiving countless messages asking, we are re-launching a selection of our favorite merch pieces from across the last decade. One time only and orders must be in by October 31st so don’t sleep on it x Lost that hoody that you loved so dearly from like five years ago? We have you covered.

Borrowed your mate's Twisted Tee only for it to get snapped up by the washing machine elves?  Here's your chance to suss them a new one.

As always you can be sure only high quality threads bear the Twisted name. Shot to everyone repping the gears year round!!! Taking a Breather in 2028 Our 2027 event is looking absolutely spectacular, we have some exciting new surprises for you and some utterly stunning musicians, artists and performers locked and loaded. Provided we can get our funding on lock, enough of you get tix and we are able to commit to keeping at it, we have made the decision to take the following year off, to focus on building a strategy and model that will keep Twisted going long into the future. We also want to give our team of legends who have been grinding tirelessly since 2013 a much deserved rest. This also means this summer is your last chance for at least a couple of years to bring in the New Year Twisted styles! Our dream scenario is that all of the fundraising, strategy mahi, and recharging next year will mean we can return for the 2028-2029 New Years with the energy turned up to 11 and a new plan in place to ensure we are operating with the future sustainability of the mission in mind.

TL:DR

Yous have collectively fundraised and supported us a tonne, and we’re so immensely stoked and grateful <3 

You can support us more by buying merch, donating to the Boosted, grabbing Twisted-exclusive compilations, and most importantly buying tickets. 

Creative New Zealand have given us 10k to work on financial resilience and strategy.

And, we’re taking a year off over the 2027-2028 New Years to focus on that strategy development and give our legendary team a breather. 

Love you Twisted whānau. Party on.