Soundsplash 2023

2023 - 1 - 20

Post cover — Image courtesy of "New Zealand Herald"

Raglan Soundsplash festival, thousands queue for six hours without ... (New Zealand Herald)

Parents of teenagers waiting six hours to get into a music festival in searing heat without water or shade are concerned organisers “have not learned their ...

“We did have entry congestion in the mid-morning at a time when the crowd grew quickly and it coincided with [those] breaks” a spokesperson said. “When the odd shuttle does arrive,” one parent said, “a massive rush and crush of kids try to race onboard.” A parent claimed their teen had been yelled at to “sit down and shut the f*** up”. Parents and attendees claim security guards have yelled profanities at the teenagers in an effort to control what parents have called “faint and panicked” children. The Raglan Airfield had been set up as a site to drop off patrons at the festival, to get their entry wristbands and have their bags searched for alcohol and harmful substances. Raglan’s Soundsplash festival has been described as “a shambles” as festivalgoers, forced to wait for limited shuttle buses to the venue, suffer heatstroke-like symptoms.

Teens wait hours in sun with no water to enter Soundsplash festival (1 News)

A number of concerned parents contacted 1News after talking with their children at the festival who described long lines in the sun as the busses slowly ...

"I apologise to our attendees who experienced long waits for the shuttles. Unfortunately, one of the busses broke down, and our transport provider wasn't able to replace it at short notice," a spokesperson said. "We did have entry congestion in the mid-morning at a time when the crowd grew quickly, and it coincided with the drivers' mandatory breaks.

Soundsplash organisers apologise for shuttle delays at Whāingaroa ... (Stuff.co.nz)

Frustrated festival goers have reported waiting hours to get into the Whāingaroa-Raglan event on Friday.

Unfortunately one of the buses we had on today did break down and we weren’t able to replace it at short notice,” a statement from organiser Brian Ruawai on Friday afternoon said. * In a later email, she said her daughter had told her people were jumping a fence to start walking to the festival site themselves and calling taxis rather than continuing to wait. [delays caused by the search process on entry a couple of years ago](https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/124036384/soundsplash-organiser-looks-for-ways-to-improve-6hour-wait-time), we will be revisiting the transport logistics for next year’s festival to ensure a better experience for all our attendees.” The mother of one attendee felt they were “treated like cattle” and had been told some were jumping a fence and trying to walk. Soundsplash organisers confirmed there had been problems with delays and a shuttle operating between the town airfield, where parking happens, and the festival site.

Festival One 2023: Christians descend on Lake Karapiro for music ... (New Zealand Herald)

Steve Braunias previews a Christian music festival at Karapiro. An estimated 5000 Christians are about to travel to a three-day music festival held in a ...

There were 10 objections to Festival One, from neighbouring property owners who were concerned “about the potential adverse effects on their families, pets and farm animals, their personal health and their businesses as a direct result of the proposed festival”. Baptist pastors Mark Pierson and Kevin Schultz staged the very Christian music festival in New Zealand, in 1987, in Otaki; Burt described Pierson as “a curator of sacred spaces”. Burt’s grandfather loved to quote from it: “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” “If people can get closer to creation,” Gardiner said of Hartford’s Eden-like appearance, “they can get closer to the creator.” Of course he was criticising lockdown and saying it was wrong, but it was a good speech. The festival had established itself as a regular fixture, and attracted a record 27,000 people in 2007. “In our heart of hearts we thought we were safe, because the festival was being held the same weekend as the wedding.” He meant Ardern’s wedding. And then: “I turned on the radio and it was her.” He meant Jacinda Ardern. He brought along a young list MP by the name of Jacinda Ardern. We are all pilgrims,” he repeated, with a little twist, “walking towards the sun.” He spoke at great length about the devastating moment when Festival 2022 was cancelled. It was a day for sunscreen lotion and any kind of hat.

Soundsplash apologises after up to eight-hour waits in scorching ... (Newshub)