Festival filled with fun, music

The vibes were good and the weather ideal in Frankton yesterday, as more than 8000 people converged on the Queenstown suburb for the Bay Dreams music festival.

From noon until dusk, festival-goers made the most of the Queenstown sun by fitting as much partying as possible into the one-day event.

Making its debut at the Queenstown Events Centre, the festival featured more than 50 artists performing across two stages, including a range of local and international acts.

While most of the crowd gravitated towards the louder main stage, a healthy number of festival-goers flocked to the silent disco, dancing to a selection of artists via wireless headphones.

Speaking early in the afternoon, event director Toby Burrows said the event had gone very smoothly, with about 4000 attendees passing through the gates by 3pm.

"They’re loving it. They’ve got a lot of space here so it’s good to work with.

"We’ve got the carnival rides going, the stage is looking really good and a lot of room for people to move. Yeah, the vibes are good."

Mr Burrows said although the number of stages had been reduced from last year’s Nelson event, this had allowed them to focus on bringing some of the biggest acts Queenstown had ever seen, especially from the hip-hop scene.

"With the likes of Quavo and NLE Choppa, their sets are crazy.

"At Mt Maunganui they really brought the heat, so expect another big show tonight for them."

Mr Burrows said a majority of the South Island event’s attendees came from Dunedin and Christchurch, but hoped the move to Queenstown would give people from the surrounding areas a chance to have their first Bay Dreams experience.

"It’s just nice to freshen it up.

"Bringing it down here, it’s something new. A lot of people down here haven’t been before."

As festival-goers partied, an army of event staff and volunteers worked behind the scenes to make sure everyone continued to have a good time.

Shannon Thomson, national director for youth charity Red Frogs New Zealand, said the event had gone well for them, and by extension the attendees.

"It’s going really smoothly so far. There’s a lot of people around but we’ve been out there with water and sunscreen, just making sure people are hydrated."

Held in early January, Bay Dreams began in Mount Maunganui in 2016. The festival’s success saw it debut a South Island event in 2019.

Mr Burrows said he hoped this year would be the start of a great new chapter for Bay Dreams.

"We’ve got a long-term consent here. It’s a great venue."

regan.harris@odt.co.nz