ASB Classic's Off-Court Entertainment Precinct Returns for 2018

Attending the ASB Classic is as much about wining and dining as it is about watching a florescent yellow ball fly over a net for hours.

As big name players Caroline Wozniacki, Jack Sock and Victoria Azarenka strut their stuff at the tournament next January, off-court entertainment precinct The Serve will (ahem) serve as ground zero for eats and beats. The organisers are expecting a big one; the space will extend even further into the shrubbery of Auckland Domain for the 2018 series to offer a mix of grassed and platformed areas.

SKYCITY is on board for its sixth year and will recreate mini versions of Peter Gordon's The Sugar Club, relaxed tapas bar Bellota and Sean Connolly's meat-centric eatery The Grill. A preview of new restaurant Spice Alley will land via a pop-up before it formally opens early next year. The eatery will serve an array of Indian delights like fish madras curry and bang bang chicken salad. New to the culinary lineup will be a hot dog bar featuring a range of dawgs with a Mexican, Japanese and American tilt.

The Moët & Chandon Champagne Lounge will be present with the goods as per usual, the Phoenix Lighthouse Bar will be the destination for cocktails and a two-storey bar will provide ice-cool brews.

Artists lined up to perform throughout the tournament include: Boh Runga, White Chapel and Taye Williams. The main event will be the Sunday Sweetspot on Sunday 7 January. Curated by Shapeshifter's Sam Trevethick, it will feature a DJ set from Weird Together, Peacekeepers, Sunshine Sound System, Dylan C and Chicorelli.

The Serve will inhabit the ASB Classic, running at Parnell's ASB Tennis Centre from January 1-13, 2018. For more information and tickets, visit the tournament website.