End of the golden festival weather - Sound splash squeezes in, but others canned

Sunday, 23 January 2022

Lily Rodokal, 17, and Luke Kakard, 17, felt lucky to have gone to Soundslapsh festival before the traffic lights system changed to red.

Hamilton’s Soundsplash could have been the last music festival of the season as Omicron breaks into the community and forces a tightening of gathering restrictions.

It was announced that New Zealand would move into the red setting of the traffic light system at 11.59pm on Sunday after community spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19.

Soundsplash festival-goers were packing up after a weekend of hot weather and good music when Covid-19 restrictions were changed and gatherings were tightened to a maximum of 100 people.

Festival One at Karāpiro and One Love in Tauranga were not so lucky, and were due to kick off next weekend. Both were cancelled, with plans of action to come in the following days.

Soundsplash normally saw around 8000 youth either camp or book accommodation nearby.

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This was the first time in four years the annual three-day festival has been held in Mystery Creek.

Auckland couple Lily Rodokal and Luke Kukard said Soundsplash had been heaps of fun, and the weather had been really hot.

The 17-year-olds camped at the three-day event, and said being with their friends was the weekend’s highlight.

It was their only festival for the year, and they were happy it had been able to go ahead.

Festival One, pictured in 2017, was due to run from January 28 to 31, but can no longer due to a change to the red light traffic setting (file photo).

“Hopefully it [Covid-19] doesn’t get worse,” Kukard said.

The pair were waiting for a ride home on Sunday at 1pm, but planned to get a Covid-19 test when they returned.

Soundsplash was open to ages 16 and above, and the festival normally saw around 8000 youth either camp or book accommodation nearby.

It’s the first time in four years the annual festival has been held in Mystery Creek, after putting down roots in Raglan for the last five years.

Organisers opted for the bigger location at Mystery Creek late last year, due to “spatial requirements.”

Christian event Festival One was due to run from January 28 to 31, and organisers were devastated to see it become a victim of Covid-19 restrictions.

“It’s pretty heartbreaking not being able to carry on - we were so hopeful of all being together,” Festival One said in a statement.

“The crew here are incredible and have immediately turned to what do we do next how do we pack this down well and prepare for the next event whenever that may be.”

It claimed the government’s Events Transition Support Scheme, which helped to underwrite festivals that were cancelled due to Covid-19.

“We are working with the insurers now. And we ask for your patience as we work this through. We’ll let you know further details as soon as possible.”

One Love in Tauranga was planned for January 29 and 30, but could not operate under the red light setting.

“We will have further announcements for you on Wednesday - in the meantime, please be patient, and please be kind,” a One Love social media post said.