As the longest night of the year approaches, Wellington’s Lōemis festival is once again inviting audiences to step out of the cold and into something stranger, darker and deliciously alive.
Running across Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington from 9 to 21 June, Lōemis has built its reputation on midwinter magic, bringing together music, food, immersive art, spoken word, film and ritual in a programme that celebrates discovery, curiosity and transformation.
For Rainbow audiences looking for a night out with bite, two of this year’s standout offerings promise very different but equally intoxicating experiences: the uncompromising electronic world of KAVARI, and the inclusive, hedonistic glamour of the Midwinter Solstice Ball.
KAVARI
KAVARI brings her transgressive, high-intensity electronic sound to Meow on Thursday 18 June, joined by Ritual Heaps and Mr Meaty Boy.
Liverpool-born and Glasgow-based, KAVARI has become one of the most thrilling figures in the UK electronic underground.
Born in Birkenhead, England, she later moved to the Highlands of Scotland in early childhood, where her relationship with music and performance began to form. By her late teens, she was performing at club nights and raves across Scotland, sometimes organising them herself in response to the lack of diversity in her local music scene.
That DIY urgency remains central to her work.
KAVARI’s artistic philosophy is rooted in a rejection of mainstream electronic music conventions. Rather than repeating familiar club structures, she builds worlds that feel unstable, emotional, abrasive and strangely beautiful.
It is music designed to shake the body, but also haunt the mind.
Hailed as “The Priestess of the Underground,” KAVARI has earned praise from Aphex Twin, who described her work as “some of the most brilliant, most interesting kicking electronic music” to emerge in recent years.
Her sound draws from artists including Skrillex, Genesis P-Orridge, Lorn and Arca, blending industrial force, ambient atmosphere, club energy, EDM and noise into something unmistakably her own.
Her work is marked by abrasive textures, ethereal soundscapes and a deep focus on emotional expression, often channelling intense feeling into sonic form.
Alongside her solo material, KAVARI has collaborated with and contributed to work by artists including Yeule, REZZ and Flume.
Her Lōemis appearance follows the announcement of PLAGUE MUSIC, her debut EP for XL Recordings, released through the label’s iconic House Bag series.
The four-track project sharpens KAVARI’s sound into her most focused and uncompromising body of work so far.
Written over the course of a year while she was touring, and crafted entirely from her Glasgow home, the EP pushes further into darker, more brutal territory.
Lead single “IRON VEINS” sets the tone, taking its name from the cult documentary Black Metal Veins. Its accompanying video, directed by long-time collaborator Game Nova, reimagines Alice in Wonderland through a twisted psychological lens, turning fairytale imagery into something visceral and unsettling.
Across PLAGUE MUSIC, KAVARI draws from drum and bass, dubstep and noise, imagining a world in decay.
Human traces such as breath, movement and spatial texture collide with harsh electronic elements, blurring the line between rhythm and experiment. “PULSE” incorporates a warped sample from Salad Fingers, while “SERPENT CHAMBER” weaves snake recordings into its textures, giving the EP a bodily, almost living presence.
For Lōemis, KAVARI feels like a perfect fit.
Her music embraces the festival’s midwinter spirit: dark, immersive, ritualistic and restless.
This is not electronic music as easy escapism. It is club music for unstable times, built for those who want to feel something more than just a beat.
KAVARI
Date: Thursday, 18 June 2026
Time: 8pm–11pm
Venue: Meow, Wellington
Featuring: KAVARI, Ritual Heaps and Mr Meaty Boy
Category: R18, live music/concert
Midwinter Solstice Ball
Two nights later, Lōemis invites audiences to dress up, step out and surrender to the night at the Midwinter Solstice Ball.
Taking place at Meow Nui on Saturday 20 June, the ball celebrates the eve of the winter solstice with sets from Poppa Jax, BBYFACEKILLA, Kaiviti and more.
Designed as an inclusive celebration for all, the event encourages guests to abandon their inhibitions, dress to impress and let their inner hedonist shine.
As Lōemis moves towards its closing weekend, the Midwinter Solstice Ball offers a suitably decadent way to mark the season.
The festival describes the event as a chance to embrace the intoxicating allure of the night, while creating a celebratory and respectful environment for people of all sexualities, genders and sex characteristics.
That spirit feels especially important.
At its best, nightlife has always been more than a party for Rainbow communities. It is a place to gather, perform, flirt, sweat, disappear into music and reappear as something bolder.
The Midwinter Solstice Ball leans into that lineage, offering a space where glamour, release and community can exist together on the dancefloor.
With Poppa Jax, BBYFACEKILLA and Kaiviti leading the charge, the night promises big energy, fierce sounds and a crowd ready to make the most of Wellington’s darkest season.
Whether you arrive dressed like a gothic debutante, celestial club kid, winter witch or simply your hottest self, the brief is clear: bring drama, bring respect and bring your full self.
Part ball, part rave, part midwinter ritual, this is Lōemis at its most playful and sensual.
After weeks of art, music, food, performance and transformation, the Midwinter Solstice Ball invites festival-goers to close the season not quietly, but gloriously.
Midwinter Solstice Ball
Date: Saturday, 20 June 2026
Time: 8pm–11pm
Venue: Meow Nui, Wellington
Featuring: Poppa Jax, BBYFACEKILLA, Kaiviti and more
Category: R18, live music
A midwinter invitation
Together, KAVARI and the Midwinter Solstice Ball show two sides of Lōemis’ 2026 programme.
One is dark, experimental and uncompromising. The other is celebratory, inclusive and deliciously excessive.
Both speak to the power of gathering in winter, when the nights are long, the air is sharp, and the urge to find heat, connection and transformation becomes impossible to ignore.
For Wellington’s Rainbow communities and adventurous visitors, Lōemis is not just a festival to watch. It is one to step inside. Get your tickets here!
