We Love The CABANA

The Cabana is New Zealand’s oldest Pure Live Music Venue. It's pure rock and roll. 

“NZ’s finest finishing school” as Karen Hay put it.

The Cabana has been around for over 60 years and every NZ Band and Artist of note has graced it’s stage. Situated in Sunny Napier it has been the home of many epic gigs, Midnight Oil, Mi Sex, Split Enz, Dr Feelgood, Th’ Dudes, Exponents, Mockers, Steve Kilbey, Sum’ Dub, Trinity Roots,  Lloyd Cole and many many more.

I’ve been honoured to have owned the Cabana for just over 10 years. I first played there as a teenager supporting the Mockers.

We're the Hub of the Hawkes Bay music and employ hundreds of Bar Staff, Engineers, Lighting designers, Cleaners and of course 1000’s of musicians. We hold regular “All Age” gigs promoting young bands many of which we record and film.

Like all venues COVID-19 has stopped us in our tracks. Landlords have still needed to be paid along with staff and ongoing bills like insurances etc. A cash injection would help keep the Landlord happy and ease the venue into LEVEL 2 operations which no one is quite sure just how that will work.

The Cabana books a lot of Australian and overseas touring artists and these gigs will no doubt be cancelled.  

As the owner of the Cabana presently, I will fight tooth and nail to keep  “NZ’s Oldest Pure Live Music Venue” open. Any help from our wonderful community would be greatly appreciated.

Roy Brown 
The Cabana

This Boosted campaign is part of a nationwide awareness drive under the banner of Boosted LIVE presents #SAVEOURVENUES.

Run by a dedicated committee of music lovers (including Reb Fountain, Matthew Crawley (Golden Dawn / Strange News, Lucy Macrae & Tom Anderson (Whammy Bar), Rohan Evans (The Wine Cellar) and Reuben Bonner (Banished Music)), the #SAVEOURVENUES team seek to unite in support of Aotearoa's live music venues and music scene. To raise awareness and funds, and trigger a national response strategy in support of a thriving musical culture in New Zealand. 

#saveourvenues aim is to help generate support for crucial, original, small live music venues right across New Zealand, in cities and towns. And they are calling on everyone to help. Anyone can do it – artists, audience members, reviewers, techies, promoters – all of us.  First up – please donate now – chip in what you can to make a difference. Next - using the hashtags #saveourvenues and #welovethecabana post your own video or photo with your memory of the venue as a response and share this with your community along with the link to this page so that your friends can donate too.

Please support your local venues. They need you. 

#saveourvenues #saveourvenuesnz #welovethecabana