Subculture co-owners and partners Simon Hendl and Antonia Crowley, with friends Bretti and Dean Lydiard and landowner Perry Noyce, are organising the inaugural Shotover Sunshine Festival, hoping it will become a popular biennial fixture, alternating with Rippon Festival, near Wanaka.
The Shotover Sunshine Festival will take place from noon to midnight on February 5, the day before Waitangi Day, 2011. The organisers have gained consent to use a 24ha paddock beside the Shotover River, at the Coronet Peak end of Littles Rd, past Arthurs Point.
The confirmed musical line-up will include Ladi6 featuring Parks and Julian Dyne, Opensouls, Rhythmonyx, Taos Sound System and British DJ Jstar. Queenstown acts Sunshine Sound System, Pass the Sauce and Charlie Gibson round off the bill and there will be a kapa haka performance in recognition of Waitangi Day.
Mr Hendl said yesterday the festival would be a celebration of New Zealand music, culture and landscape.
"It's definitely well overdue [that] Queenstown has a top-flight music festival. In the past, we've been heavily involved in helping with the Reggae in the Gardens events and this is a natural progression that allows us to get some really big names in and take it to the next level."
An alcohol- and smoke-free, children-friendly zone, complete with bouncy castle, would be part of the festival, they said.
Earlybird tickets go on sale today at $100; full-price tickets will cost $120.
