Dance farm: dancing in an enclosure to create good vibes in the summer hotspot of Whangamata

More than 4,000 festival-goers forgot the worries of the world for a day of dancing in a paddock in Whangamata on Saturday – and as New Zealand pop superstar Benee summed it up: ‘Can you believe there is a pandemic? world and we are at a Festival? “

Dance Farm drew a good mood from a mostly younger crowd, who showed off their vaccine passes and let their hair down as the sun shone through the hills of Joe’s Farm, 10 miles from the city.

The event was the second of three major one-day concerts hosted by Coro Events, Whangamata-based organizers who have volunteered for years at Repco Beach Hop and who have relied on all that professionalism and connections to deliver. a flawless event.

Organizer Dennis Beaver said controls for the Covid-19 pandemic had worked well, but added an additional $ 30,000 per show in staff and equipment.

He anticipates Joe’s Farm will become a major event venue and hopes to bring international acts to the venue when possible.

“We have big ideas with this farm, it’s a long term plan for us and we’ve been working very closely with the Council. We’ll be looking at what needs to be tweaked for the future, but we’re talking really big with international acts.

“We have a capacity of 20,000 people and we want to get there next year.”

At Dance Farm, a campsite offering VIPs as well as a base campground, there were shuttles to all neighboring settlements and vaccine passes were presented at the door along with entrance tickets, which caused no blockage or hassle.

From the familiar Beach Hop team leading the few who have chosen to drive and park at Dance Farm, the friendly lobby and bar staff and those who pick up the trash and make sure the portaloos are in good order. Stocked with toilet paper, it was a two day festival that produced all smiles and no drama.

An R15 concert with a bar for R18 festival goers with ID, artists included Benee, Mitch James, Sachi, Ladyhawke, Niko Walters, LA Women, There’s a Tuesday and Georgia Lines and DJs between sets.

Just in time, the debut acts Georgia Lines, Niko Walters, LA Women and There’s a Tuesday showed how New Zealand’s music industry not only deserves our collective support after two years of lockdown disruption, but because neo music. Zeeland is so good.

Ladyhawke’s “My Delirium” drew a rush of people from their scattered picnic rugs to approach the stage as the scorching afternoon sun began to mellow, followed by the electronic music duo d Auckland Sachi, whose energy on stage and the light show, as well as the sounds, raised his hands in the air in appreciation.

Mitch James was next, clad in a Vodafone Warriors shirt, singing hits like “Sunday Morning” as the sun set behind Coromandel chains.

Benee titled, bouncing and glittering with her silver Ugg boots and glittery cap in the light show, entertaining with funny comments. At one point, she took off her boots to show the painful toe she had endured and which had to be recorded by the St. John Ambulance team: “It’s painful,” he said. she lamented, “But I’m a bit of a drama queen.”

Sales of more than 4,000 tickets were about half the number at Dennis’ first concert at Joe’s Farm in 2020, when his headlining New Years concert Shapeshifter drew around 8,000.

Coro Events resumed after a hiatus the following year, on New Years Eve 2020, when Joe’s Farm was overtaken by another event planner. Dennis and his local team returned with a three-festival lineup, bringing music to the vaccinated doubles in late December and January 2022 and say they had to rebuild after the previous year’s concerts, which people didn’t attend. take into account that they were not organized by Coro Events.

He said about 200 people chose to camp on site, many being dropped off by parents and others taking shuttles to nearby towns, which meant very little traffic and a smooth festival for the younger ones.

Ticket sales were more or less as expected given that the New Years holiday had passed.

The municipalities of Coromandel experienced a sharp drop in holidaymaker traffic after the weekend of January 8 and 9.

“We would like more but everything went well, we just wanted a good process for everyone and to rebuild from last year,” Beaver said.

Coro Events’ next concert is a three-day Kickdown festival where motorcycle enthusiasts and their passengers can win $ 1 million in cash and be part of the biggest group ever for “Ride the Loop” with up to 2,000 other people around the Coromandel Peninsula.

The Kickdown Festival is organized in partnership with Noddy Watts, president of Repco Beach Hop, who compared it to a small local version of South Dakota’s famous Sturgis Rally.

“It’s about enjoying the trip and sharing the love of British, American and European motorcycles.”

Lead actor Shihad had to be replaced by Blindspott after being unable to get a band member across from Melbourne due to quarantine law changes, and they will be joined by Devilskin and Hello Sailor, Stellar, The Jordan Luck. Band, Goodshirt and The Osciller DJs.

Noddy said New Zealanders are enjoying a well-deserved summer break: “For a growing number of Kiwis that means leaving their car at home, grabbing their leather and hopping on a motorbike to explore New Zealand,” did he declare.

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Watts had to postpone Repco Beach Hop’s planned March 2022 date to November due to restrictions on a free public event under the Covid-19 protective framework traffic light system.

The Coro Events lineup began with the Sundown Festival featuring Katchafire, Kora, Masaya, Muorki, Rubi Du and The Black Seeds and performed on January 2nd.

For more information, visit; www.kickdown.co.nz.