New Zealand has won the rights to host the 2024 World Choir Games - the first time the event will be held in the Oceania region.
Participants perform at the closing ceremony of the 6th World Choir Games in Shaoxing, China, in July. 2010. Photo: Imaginechina / Liang zhen via AFP
The biennial choral festival is the world's largest, with hundreds of choirs and up to 15,000 people expected to take part.
The Choral Federation's bid for the rights was backed by $7 million from the government's Major Events Fund.
Auckland will host the games at concert halls, churches and sports and cultural venues over 11 days in July 2024.
If the games are cancelled or significantly scaled down because of Covid-19, any uncommitted funding will be returned to the Major Events Fund.
