Following the success of their two sold-out inaugural events in Auckland and Wellington, the Heineken Urban Polo has announced the events will extend into Christchurch and Hamilton. Continuing their growth, they have forged a partnership with New Zealand’s largest media outlet, NZME, for the 2018 season.

Simon Wilson, Founder of Urban Polo says, “We are thrilled to be working with NZME as they have an impressive range of platforms, making it easy for the Heineken Urban Polo to communicate with a larger audience. We are excited to announce that we are heading to two additional cities in the 2018 season, bringing the Urban Polo to Hamilton and Christchurch in March, in addition to Auckland and Wellington. With their large portfolio of leading media brands such as ZM, The Hits, Newstalk ZB, Viva, iHeartRadio and nzherald.co.nz it makes sense to partner with NZME, to connect us with New Zealanders everywhere our events are.”

The urban event is described by many as the best sporting event of summer, and showcases some of the world’s best Polo players with a fusion of the hottest local live DJs.

“Urban Polo is in the heart of the city. We sold out in both Wellington and Auckland last year, and based on that success we know the formula is right to launch in additional cities. More fans will be able to enjoy the mix of music and the exhilarating sport of Polo” says Wilson.

Paul Hancox, NZME Head of Enterprise says, “The inaugural Heineken Urban Polo events were outstanding – it was fantastic to see a new event on the calendar create such a buzz. We are pleased to be partnering with the Heineken Urban Polo to use the power of our digital, radio and print offerings to kick it up a notch, and see the event expand into two new markets in 2018."

In 2018 the Heineken Urban Polo, aptly named the sport of kings, will also retain its naming right partnership with premium beverage brand Heineken. All locations are R18 licensed, safe and secure events, with fully stocked bars and alcohol allocations available depending on tickets.

“We can’t wait to bring the Heineken Urban Polo to four cities this year,” says Taylor Green, Heineken Marketing Manager. “Given the overwhelming positive response we had last year, we were inundated with requests to take Heineken Urban Polo to other cities next year. Heineken is always looking to bring world-class events to life, so we are excited to be working with the Urban Polo team to bring a taste of the international action to Kiwis. Plus who doesn’t enjoy a few cold ones while watching world class athletes and DJs.”

All locations are in the heart of the city. The Wellington venue will move to Kelburn Park, so guests can hop off the cable car and go straight into the event, or walk from University; In Christchurch, the Heineken Urban Polo will be held at North Hagley Park; In Hamilton, at Claudelands Arena; And in Auckland, the event will return to Shore Road Reserve in Parnell.

Tickets officially go on sale at 10am on Tuesday 22 August from urbanpolo.co.nz.

Full event details as follows: 

• Heineken Urban Polo Auckland: Saturday 24 February, Shore Road Reserve, Parnell from 2:00pm 
• Heineken Urban Polo Christchurch: Saturday 3 March, North Hagley Park, Christchurch from 2:00pm 
• Heineken Urban Polo Hamilton: Saturday 17 March, Claudelands, Hamilton from 2:00pm 
• Heineken Urban Polo Wellington: Saturday 24 March, Kelburn Park, from 2:00pm