File photo. Photo: supplied
If you're in Tāmaki Makaurau this month, prepare to see a whole lot of people singing around the city.
Across 11 days in July, Auckland will host the 13th World Choir Games, welcoming 11,000 singers and more than 9000 international visitors to the city.
The mammoth event will include grand opening and closing ceremonies at Spark Arena on 10 and 20 July, with four award ceremonies, nine celebration concerts, 15 workshops and a vibrant Parade of Nations across Quay Street.
Contestants will be competing in two sections - Open and Champions - each of which is comprised of 28 categories.
A panel of 36 international jurors will be carefully assessing the performances to award prizes.
The global choir competition is the biggest choral music event New Zealand has ever hosted.
Hundreds of staff and around 350 volunteers - who speak 41 languages among them - are on board to support the many international visitors coming to Auckland.
World Choir Games 2024 executive director Kylie Sealy said Tāmaki Makaurau residents and visitors were in "for an absolute treat".
"It's incredible to think that so many hundreds of people are working together on an event that celebrates singing, yet I can't think of something we all need more right now than the joy and connection choral music can bring."
The games are being presented in partnership with New Zealand Choral Federation, New Zealand Major Events, and Tātaki Auckland Unlimited.
The event was expected to generate over $10 million in GDP during a traditionally quiet month for Tāmaki Makaurau.
