Covid-19: All the events cancelled or up in the air as Omicron hits NZ
Sunday, 23 January 2022
A staggering number of major events across New Zealand have been cancelled and more are expected following the country’s move to the red traffic light setting at 11.59pm on Sunday.
These include music, food, and wine festivals, sports tournaments, arts events, and a wide array of summer festivities scheduled for February and March.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s announcement sent the events industry into a spin as promoters and organisers were forced to reassess their plans. Under the red setting indoor and outdoor events are limited to 100 people and the use of vaccine passports is mandatory.
We’ll keep a running list of the events that have been cancelled below, and stay abreast of those yet to make an announcement.
**READ MORE:
* Covid-19: Omicron is here – minimising health and supply shocks top of agenda
* Covid-19: South Canterbury businesses better prepared for red traffic light setting
* Major events in jeopardy - a move to red would be 'devastating' for industry
**
Wellington
Cancelled
Organisers of Wellington’s annual Kiwi music festival, Jim Beam Homegrown are cancelling their event due to run on 19th March 2022.
“We were hoping to give ourselves as much of a chance as possible to run, but with the information and guidance we’ve had over the past few days, it has become apparent we will need to cancel this year’s event”, says managing director Andrew Tuck.
Jim Beam Homegrown attracts 22,500 plus festival goers to the coolest little Capital’s waterfront annually.
Organisers are now offering to refund or roll over 2022 tickets to the 2023 event.
Lunar New Year Festival, due to run from February 1 to 12, has cancelled many of its large events, including the parade and Asian market, while the Gindulgence Festival due to run January 29 to 30 says it won’t go ahead on those dates.
Up in the air
Events yet to make decisions include CubaDupa festivals scheduled for 26-27, and the Six60 concert scheduled for March 26 at Sky Stadium.
On the capital’s stages, Circa Theatre has said tickets may need to be refunded due to changes in venue capacity – now a maximum 100 people with social distancing – while BATS Theatre would continue to operate its no-certificate, no-entry policy.
Organisers of the Round the Bays run scheduled for February 20 said they would decide whether the event should be postponed to April, while the Performance Arcade arts festival would cautiously proceed under red with limited numbers and online versions of its outdoor events, said its artistic director Sam Trubridge.
The Wine & Food Festival and Island Bay Festival, due to be held on February 12 and 12-20 respectively, were both assessing whether they could proceed.
Going ahead or delayed
The Aotearoa NZ Festival of the Arts has a range of contingency plans and would work through them.
Festival events already running would continue within capacity limits, including Destination Mars at Te Papa, said Meg Williams, executive director of Tāwhiri Festivals and Experiences which runs the festival starting February 21.
Event Director of the Wellington Wine and Food Festival and Beers in the Basin, Damien Hochberg said events on a smaller scale were in a more precarious position.
“Our capacity is 4,500. We’ve been sold out for the last three years in a row but neither ourselves nor our suppliers are eligible.”
Wellington Wine and Food festival is postponed until December 10. “At the end of the day we didn’t really have much choice. We feel that we could still deliver a fun day out in the sun in December. We don’t feel that if we postponed it by a month that would do any good,” Hochberg said.
Hochberg said that Beers in the Basin could proceed on April 9 provided organisers had about four weeks notice of change out of the red protection framework.
Beers in the Basin was scheduled to run six days after the cutoff date for the Events Transition Support Payment scheme on April 3.
“It’s tough times but we realise we’re not the only one’s in this position. The support, understanding and patience we’ve been receiving is phenomenal,” Hochberg said.
In sport, Wellington Cup Day on January 29 would go ahead with “multiple zones of 100 people with separate entrances [and] amenities”, Race Inc chief executive Tim Savell said, while Sport Minister Grant Robertson said the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup would be able to go ahead under red.
Auckland
Cancelled
Auckland Arts Festival has cancelled 51 live events from its upcoming festival with others to be live streamed.
They were due to take place from March 10 to 27 across Tāmaki Makaurau.
All live events and performances in venues, theatres, and outdoor spaces have been pulled.
However, the live-streamed world premiere of Nightsong’s A Stab in the Dark, starring Joel Toebeck and Alison Bruce; two free outdoor installations, United for Truth beach and Amanda Parer’s spectacular inflatable humanoids, Fantastic Planet, will go ahead.
The Others Way will not happen on Saturday 29 January as planned. Normally the festival takes over Karangahape Rd venues but cannot go ahead under red light restrictions. The regular event had already been postponed from last year and was cancelled completely in 2020. Organisers have not stated whether a new date will be found this time.
The lineup included Don McGlashan & The Others, Team Dynamite, Lawrence Arabia, Anthonie Tonnon, Julia Deans, Jakob, Dianne Swann, Voom, Phoebe Rings, Princess Chelsea, and Troy Kingi.
The Auckland Lantern Festival has been cancelled for the third time in a row. It was due to run 10-13 February. Mayor Phil Goff said he was disappointed to make the decision for a third time.
“However, the safety of our communities has to come first, and given that the Omicron variant is now circulating in Auckland, cancelling the Lantern Festival at this time is the right and responsible decision,” Goff said.
New Zealand Fashion Week, due to be held from February 7 to 12, has been cancelled.
New Zealand Fashion Week managing director and founder Dame Pieter Stewart echoed this, saying it was not viable for designers to put on a show within the 100-person limit.
“It’s incredibly disappointing for everyone involved that the event has been cancelled.
“Our designers have put in a huge amount of work, as have our partners, buyers, models, production teams and a number of other people.”
Splore Festival at the Tāpapakanga Regional Park has had to pull the pin.
“It’s with heavy hearts that we ask you all to join us on a journey we hoped we would never have to take. For the first time in its history, Splore 2022 is cancelled,” event organisers wrote in a statement posted to social media.
“Today’s announcement of the move to red doesn’t leave room for ambiguity. Large events cannot go ahead at this level, and in all likelihood we’ll be at red for some time as we support each other through the spread of Omicron.
“The best thing we can do is give everyone some certainty and focus our attention towards 2023.”
The Auckland Pride Festival, following last week’s announcements of the Big Gay Out and Rainbow Pride Parade being cancelled, will not go ahead either. It is meant to run for most of February.
“It is incredibly heartbreaking that we are in this position, but the safety of our community is our top priority,” executive director Max Tweedie said in a statement.
“This decision has not been made lightly, but is consistent with Auckland Pride’s values and unwavering commitment to keeping Tāmaki Makaurau’s rainbow communities safe.”
The annual Auckland International Buskers Festival, which was due to kick off this Friday, has also announced its cancellation.
Festival organiser Pam Glaser said their number one priority is safety, and that they can’t wait to bring it back in 2023.
Wicked the Musical, which has been in the making for four years, was scheduled to run from February 4 to 26 at Auckland’s SkyCity Theatre. It will now cancel all shows.
“We are absolutely heartbroken,” said the North Shore Music Theatre.
Going ahead eventually
Outerfields music festival at Western Springs has a postponement date of December 3, 2022.
The Auckland Writers’ Festival has announced it is postponing its festival, and moving the May event to August 2022.
“With the health and safety of all our artists, audience, volunteers, crew and staff top of mind, and noting the chance of successfully delivering a full Festival in May looks highly unlikely, we have decided to postpone this year’s Festival until 23 - 28 August 2022, at the Aotea Centre in Auckland.
“The Ockham NZ Book Awards will continue on Wednesday 11 May, as previously announced, in a format to be confirmed shortly.This is a one-off shift, and we fully intend to return to the Aotea stage in May 2023, with a great line-up of international guests,' a statement from the organisers said.
Kings of Leon's March / April tour of New Zealand has been postponed.
“Due to ongoing border restrictions in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, TEG Dainty has announced that KINGS OF LEON’S March & April 2022 tour of Australia and New Zealand is being rescheduled.
“TEG Dainty and Kings of Leon are working hard to secure new tour dates and will be back in touch with further details soon. Current tickets will remain valid for the new show dates,' a statement on the Ticketmaster website said.
Christchurch
Cancelled
The Great Kiwi Beer Festival in Hagley Park on January 29 has been cancelled.
Team Event director Callam Mitchell said more than 10,000 tickets had already been sold for next weekend’s beer festival in Christchurch.
He said he had no choice but to cancel the event, which was expected to have 70 brewers and food stalls.
Ticket holders will be able to get refunds.
Le Race - an annual 100-kilometre cycling race from Christchurch to Akaroa – has been cancelled.
Organisers said they had tried to make the event, due to be held on March 19, work and were “absolutely gutted” to make the call to cancel.
“Given the uncertainty at this time, plus the added complications and risks that come with Omicron, we feel it is in the best interest for all involved to cancel.
“The health of our crew and event participants (and their supporters) comes above all else.'
Anyone who had entered could have their entry automatically rolled over to the next race on March 18, 2023, or should email notjustevents@xtra.co.nz by February 15 to receive a refund (minue a $25 admin fee).
Madagascar the Musical at Christchurch’s Isaac Theatre Royal was cancelled on Monday. The show had already been postponed twice and only managed to get three days worth of shows in before being cancelled.
Sculpture on the Peninsula, a fundraising event for the Cholmondeley Children’s Centre, was due to be held next weekend but has been forced to go online.
Four Christchurch City Council Summer Sundays concerts will not go ahead. The six-concert series was supposed to start on January 30 and run until March 6.
The first four concerts have been canned, and the council has yet to make a decision about the concerts scheduled for February 27 and March 6.
Up in the air
The two-day Coast to Coast multisport event has been cancelled for the first time in its 40-year history.
The race sees competitors running, cycling and kayaking from Kumara on the West Coast to New Brighton in Christchurch over one or two days and in teams or individuals. It was due to be held on February 11 and 12.
However, there is still a chance the one-day event could go ahead with organisers saying they need more information from the Government before deciding whether they could utilise “a pod and wave” situation.
Team Event has other big days set for summer. South Island Wine & Food Festival on February 5, Nostalgia on February 12 and Electric Avenue on February 26 are all up in the air.
Mitchell said it was unlikely the wine festival would go ahead.
“We’ve just got to tackle one thing at a time.”
Nationwide
Cancelled
WOMAD NZ has been cancelled. The event was due to take place in Taranaki from March 18-20 but organisers say they've been forced to cancel, a decision which 'has not been made lightly.'
“We all had great expectations of bringing the festival back to Taranaki after disruptions due to Covid-19 in 2021. It is heartbreaking to cancel for the second year in a row due to circumstances entirely out of our control.”
Festival ticket holders are being told their current tickets can roll over to WOMAD NZ 2023, which will be the 20th year celebratory event, and will run from March 17-19 2023.
But to those who can't make it, refunds will be available through the festival's Ticketspace outlet.
Waikato's showpiece arts festival won't go ahead in 2022 - although it's hoped many shows can be rescheduled in 2023.
That Weekend music festival, meant to be headlined by Netsky and The Black Seeds at Okiore Springs Hotel in Tirau on January 28 and 29, has announced its cancellation.
The Hamilton Gardens Arts Festival was due to run February 18 to 27, and organisers had successfully run a $25,000 fundraising campaign to plug a funding shortfall and ensure it included free events. Donors and ticket holders will be offered a refund, organisers said.
Due to the recent move into the red traffic light framework, along with many event organisers around NZ the Royal New Zealand Air Force Band says it has had to ”make the difficult decision to cancel our upcoming tour of the North Island. Those who had already booked tickets will have already been contacted by Ticketek about your refund.”
The Equifest Summer Special has been cancelled.
The Taupō equestrian event had already been postponed from 2021. Organisers in a statement said, “words can’t describe the devastation from our team, the emotions surrounding the tireless work that has been put into trying to deliver you this event and what it means to have to make this decision.”
Te Tairāwhiti Arts Festival in Gisborne had rescheduled some of its events that were unable to take place last year for a 'special Summer Session”. Those events, which would have included shows by Deva Mahal, Louis Baker, Tami Neilson, Troy Kingi, Delaney Davidson, Anna Coddington, and Julia Deans have now been cancelled.
Festival CEO/Artistic Director Tama Waipara said in a statement, “Our sincerest aroha goes out to all our artists, crew, suppliers, ticket holders and community who have backed us since our inception in 2019. We look forward to returning later in the year with the full might of our creative abundance in Tūranga-nui-ā-Kiwa and the wider Te Tairāwhiti region.”
The Great New Zealand Muster, which sees sheep head down a King Country street in a carnival atmosphere, has been cancelled.The event was due to be held in Te Kūiti on Saturday, April 10.
The Challenge Wānaka festival has been cancelled. The festival usually attracts about 2500 competitors to the Central Otago town.
Registered competitors will be able to request a 75 per cent refund or a transfer to the 2023 event. It features several events including a social triathlon on February 13, and swimming events for juniors and competitive racers from February 17 to 19.
The New Zealand Masters Games won't go ahead in Dunedin on February 5 to 13. It was expected to attract 3405 competitors.
The Warbirds Over Wānaka International Airshow has been forced to cancel for the second time in two years. The show, which has been held biennially since 1988, is one of the region’s largest events, attracting about 55,000 people over the Easter period who spend more than $40 million in the region.
The cancellation would be a “huge blow” for the people putting the event together, said Warbirds Over Wānaka Community Trust chairman John Gilks.
The next Warbirds Over Wānaka International Airshow is planned for Easter 2024, and ticketholders will be offered a full refund.
Hawke's Bay’s Food and Wine Classic (FAWC) is going ahead but with many events including the Car Boot Party, Brew-tiful Desserts, and Grand Long Lunch cancelled.
The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra has cancelled a seven-date North Island tour in February. The Art of Fugue tour was to begin in Wellington on 11 February, followed by concerts in Paraparaumu, Gisborne, Whakatāne, Tauranga, Auckland and Kerikeri.
All tickets already sold for the Orchestra’s shows will be refunded.
Going ahead
The South Island Cheese Festival, planned for Waitangi weekend, has decided to postpone rather than cancel. The team are working to find an alternate date.
Martinborough Fair is still planning to go ahead on March 5 and April 3. The outdoor market event believes it can operate in a red framework.
Up in the air
Many more events are under threat, including the Buller Marathon near Westport on February 12 and the Hokitika Wildfoods Festival on March 12.
Music promoter and manager Brent Eccles, who handles many of New Zealand's biggest bands and touring foreign acts, said the medium term “doesn't look too bright” under the red traffic light setting.
Kiwi band Six60's New Zealand and Australian tour was set to kick off in early March. Eccles had yet to make a decision on whether it would go ahead.
Tour dates could be pushed back, he said, once there was more certainty.
“We have contingency plans for all our shows and as we move along we'll put them in place.
“They [the Government] do from time to time change rules, so it may not be as grim as we think, but most of us think it's going to be a difficult road in an industry that's been hit pretty hard for a couple of years now.”
The Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge has been postponed. Originally meant to take place on 19 February, it is now scheduled for 26 November.
Gisborne’s Rhythm and Vines music festival was postponed until Easter 2022 last December. The annual three-day event at Waiohika Estate is normally the first in the world to welcome the new year. But for the first time in its 19-year history, it was rescheduled, spoiling the summer plans of thousands.
Organisers say that Rhythm and Vines Easter, April 15 till April 17, is able to go ahead at the orange light setting, and they are continuing to plan for the event. They will follow all government health advice provided, and want to encourage people to get their boosters.
Comedian Chris Parker has also announced the postponement of The Gentle Man national tour.
The 13-date tour was set to open in Dunedin on February 3 and finish in Napier on March 4, but organisers are now working with venues to arrange new dates.
Posting to social media on Monday, Parker explained the limited audience capacities under the red light setting means “financially it is just not possible to tour on the scale that I was hoping to.”
“Also with Aotearoa being just at the beginning of dealing with this Omicron outbreak, to be travelling around the country and gathering audiences into indoor venues just didn’t feel like the smartest choice,” he added.
Parker explained that refunds will be available to current ticket holders that are unable to attend the rescheduled shows.
Organisers of Napier’s Art Deco Festival on Tuesday announced that they are working with venues “to reconfirm how they wish to proceed with their entries” with more detail and clarity regarding the festival schedule expected in the coming days.
The Government signalled last week it would shift to the red light setting when Omicron started spreading in the community. However, the national events industry body said the move came earlier than expected. New Zealand Events Association general manager Segolene de Fontenay said the change would have a major impact.
“It is too early to say how many events will be affected depending on how long the country remains at the red traffic light.
“Given that we are still in the middle of the peak season for leisure events, on top of all the types of events that were supposed to take place last year during the last Delta lockdown and [were] rescheduled to this summer.”
De Fontenay said they were hoping for a “short and sharp red traffic light” which would give assurance toevents planned for April and beyond.
We don’t know yet whether the Government-backed insurance…will be extended after April 3.”