New Zealand music festivals
Encyclopedia
Music festivals have a long and chequered history in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. The first large outdoor rock music festival
Music festival
A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...
was The Great Ngaruawahia Music Festival
The Great Ngaruawahia Music Festival
The Great Ngaruawahia Music Festival was the first large outdoor music festival in New Zealand. It was held on a farm at Ngaruawahia on the Waikato River, 19 kilometres north-west of Hamilton, for three days from 6 to 8 January 1973.- Performers :...
in 1973. The largest was the 1979 Nambassa
Nambassa
Nambassa was a series of hippie-conceived festivals held between 1976 and 1981 on large farms around Waihi and Waikino in New Zealand. They were music, arts and alternatives festivals that focused on peace, love, and an environmentally friendly lifestyle...
festival, one of several Nambassa
Nambassa
Nambassa was a series of hippie-conceived festivals held between 1976 and 1981 on large farms around Waihi and Waikino in New Zealand. They were music, arts and alternatives festivals that focused on peace, love, and an environmentally friendly lifestyle...
festivals held around that time, in Golden Valley, just north of Waihi
Waihi
Waihi is a town in Hauraki District in the North Island of New Zealand, especially notable for its history as a gold mine town. It had a population of 4,503 at the 2006 census....
.
"There are regular jazz, folk, ethnic and country music awards and festivals, some of which have been in existence for decades. Large music festivals, for example Sweetwaters Music Festival
Sweetwaters Music Festival
Sweetwaters Music Festival was a series of events held between 1980 and 1999, at venues such as a farm in Ngaruawahia, then further north on a farm near Pukekawa, and finally at South Auckland, New Zealand.- Events:*1980 - Ngaruawahia*1981 - Ngaruawahia...
s, Nambassa and The Big Day Out
Big Day Out
The Big Day Out is an annual music festival held in several cities in Australia and New Zealand in late January. It started in Sydney in 1992, spread to Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth by 1993, with the Gold Coast and Auckland joining in 1994...
have been staged periodically since the 1970s", says Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand
Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand
Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand is an online encyclopedia created by the Ministry for Culture and Heritage of the New Zealand Government. The project was established in 2002 and the website launched in 2005...
.
Parachute Music Festival
Parachute music festival
The Parachute Music Festival is a Christian music festival held annually at Mystery Creek Events Centre, Hamilton, New Zealand.The festival is run by Parachute Music and lasts for four days and three nights. 'Parachute' is the Southern Hemisphere's largest Christian music festival, primarily...
is a Christian music festival held in New Zealand. It is one of New Zealands largest music festivals and it is the Southern Hemispheres largest Christian music festival.
Largest
NambassaNambassa
Nambassa was a series of hippie-conceived festivals held between 1976 and 1981 on large farms around Waihi and Waikino in New Zealand. They were music, arts and alternatives festivals that focused on peace, love, and an environmentally friendly lifestyle...
1979 was the largest music event in New Zealand. "Nearly 60,000 came, making it, per capita, the world’s largest festival of its type." "Nambassa will be remembered for many things. It was the largest campsite, the biggest and brightest party, and the best attended and most successful musical and cultural event ever in New Zealand."
Major festivals
- Parihaka International Peace Festival. The farmland close to the Parihaka Marae is turned into an international festival each year with music and markets. January 2007 saw 7000 visitors with Dave Dobbyn headlining the main stage. There were two smaller stages and a speakers forum that were all well attended. Wood and rock carvers worked on their pieces throughout the 3 day festival.
- 1973, 3 days, 6–8 January, The Great Ngaruawahia Music FestivalThe Great Ngaruawahia Music FestivalThe Great Ngaruawahia Music Festival was the first large outdoor music festival in New Zealand. It was held on a farm at Ngaruawahia on the Waikato River, 19 kilometres north-west of Hamilton, for three days from 6 to 8 January 1973.- Performers :...
- Farm at Ngaruawahia, 19 kilometres north-west of Hamilton, on the Waikato River. - Redwood music festivals - Farm/orchard at Redwood Park, West Auckland.
- Waikino music festivalWaikino music festivalWaikino Music Festival was a 1977 music and alternatives event held on Bicknell’s farm in the picturesque Waitawheta Valley between Waikino and Waihi, New Zealand. The event was staged as a forerunner to the Nambassa festivals and was a community project run by Peter Terry...
1976 - Farm at Waitawheta near WaikinoWaikinoWaikino is a small town situated in the North Island of New Zealand nestled in the Southern end of a gorge alongside the Ohinemuri River, between Waihi and the Karangahake Gorge. The Waikino district lies at the base of the ecologically sensitive Coromandel Peninsula with its vast tracts of lush...
, between WaihiWaihiWaihi is a town in Hauraki District in the North Island of New Zealand, especially notable for its history as a gold mine town. It had a population of 4,503 at the 2006 census....
and Karangahake GorgeKarangahake GorgeThe Karangahake Gorge lies between the Coromandel and Kaimai ranges, at the southern end of the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand's North Island. A sharply winding canyon, it was formed by the Ohinemuri River. State Highway 2 passes through this gorge between the towns of Paeroa, Waikino and Waihi...
. Pre-event run by NambassaNambassaNambassa was a series of hippie-conceived festivals held between 1976 and 1981 on large farms around Waihi and Waikino in New Zealand. They were music, arts and alternatives festivals that focused on peace, love, and an environmentally friendly lifestyle...
. - Hinuera Music Festival - Farm at Hinuera, near MatamataMatamataMatamata is a rural Waikato town in New Zealand with a population of around 12,000 . It is located near the base of the Kaimai Ranges, and is a thriving farming area known for Thoroughbred horse breeding and training pursuits...
. - Concert for the Deaf - Sports (rugby) stadium in Hamilton.
- NambassaNambassaNambassa was a series of hippie-conceived festivals held between 1976 and 1981 on large farms around Waihi and Waikino in New Zealand. They were music, arts and alternatives festivals that focused on peace, love, and an environmentally friendly lifestyle...
Music and alternatives festivals 1978, 1979, 1981 - Farm in Golden Valley, north of WaihiWaihiWaihi is a town in Hauraki District in the North Island of New Zealand, especially notable for its history as a gold mine town. It had a population of 4,503 at the 2006 census....
and Waitawheta valley near WaikinoWaikinoWaikino is a small town situated in the North Island of New Zealand nestled in the Southern end of a gorge alongside the Ohinemuri River, between Waihi and the Karangahake Gorge. The Waikino district lies at the base of the ecologically sensitive Coromandel Peninsula with its vast tracts of lush...
. - Sweetwaters Music FestivalSweetwaters Music FestivalSweetwaters Music Festival was a series of events held between 1980 and 1999, at venues such as a farm in Ngaruawahia, then further north on a farm near Pukekawa, and finally at South Auckland, New Zealand.- Events:*1980 - Ngaruawahia*1981 - Ngaruawahia...
s - Farm near Ngaruawahia; farm near PukekawaPukekawaPukekawa is a small rural community located in the Lower Waikato area of Franklin District, New Zealand. It is about an hour's drive south of Auckland. Pukekawa, an extinct volcano, is one of the oldest volcanic cones in the Auckland region. The area's fertile soils are used to grow a range of...
, - Mountain Rock Music FestivalMountain Rock Music FestivalMountain Rock Music Festivals held on a farm near Woodville then moved to a site near Palmerston North, were widely celebrated Kiwi music events in New Zealand during the 1990s...
s - Farm near Pahiatua - Strawberry Fields Music FestivalStrawberry Fields Music FestivalStrawberry Fields Music Festival, were a series of large outdoor events in New Zealand, featuring music as the central theme. They ran in 1993, 1994, 1995 for 1 day, at farms at Te Uku, 30 kilometres west of Hamilton, near Raglan, and at Queenstown....
s - Farm near Queenstown; farm at Te Uku near Raglan. - The Gatherings - Canaan Downs, Takaka Hill, near Nelson (96/97, 97/98, 98/99, G2000) and Cobb Valley, Golden Bay, near Nelson (G1 and G2).
- The Moos - Check-Point Charlie 2001. Farm (sheep station) near Rimutaka Forest park.
- The Phat Festivals - Maitai Valley, near Nelson, and Inangahua. The 2007 event was called 'Phat07 Bass Camp'
- Big Day OutBig Day OutThe Big Day Out is an annual music festival held in several cities in Australia and New Zealand in late January. It started in Sydney in 1992, spread to Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth by 1993, with the Gold Coast and Auckland joining in 1994...
- Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland - Big Gay OutBig Gay OutBig Gay Out is the name of the non-profit LGBT fair day in Auckland, New Zealand. The Big Gay Out has been running since the 1990s and is usually organised and run by the New Zealand AIDS Foundation...
- Pt Chevalier, Auckland - ParihakaParihakaParihaka is a small community in Taranaki Region, New Zealand, located between Mount Taranaki and the Tasman Sea. In the 1870s and 1880s the settlement, then reputed to be the largest Māori village in New Zealand, became the centre of a major campaign of non-violent resistance to European...
- Taranaki - Rhythm & VinesRhythm & VinesRhythm and Vines is an annual music festival held at Waiohika Estate vineyard, several kilometres from the city of Gisborne, New Zealand...
- vineyard near Gisborne - Parachute Music FestivalParachute music festivalThe Parachute Music Festival is a Christian music festival held annually at Mystery Creek Events Centre, Hamilton, New Zealand.The festival is run by Parachute Music and lasts for four days and three nights. 'Parachute' is the Southern Hemisphere's largest Christian music festival, primarily...
- A contemporary Christian music held since 1995 and attracting around 30,000 people each year to Mystery Creek, WaikatoWaikatoThe Waikato Region is a local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato, Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsula, the northern King Country, much of the Taupo District, and parts of Rotorua District...
. - Camp A Low HumA Low HumA Low Hum is the on-going project founded by photographer and music impresario Blink , and is based in Wellington, New Zealand. Under the umbrella A LOW HUM, Blink organises tours, releases records, makes music videos, organises one-off events/festivals and publishes magazines & books...
- Purposefully small music festival in Wellington each year over Waitangi Weekend. 50 bands over 3 or 4 days. - SwampfestSwampfestSwampFest is an annual musical festival that showcases Palmerston North bands. SF was originally timed to coincide with New Zealand Music Month , but in 2009 Switched to September to match The Stomach's 21st birthday. SF is known for showcasing up-and-coming as well as established artists, all...
- Palmerston North's Globe Theatre - Toots & GroovesToots & GroovesToots & Grooves was a New Zealand ska music festival at Tatum Park, Horowhenua, starting on January 25, 2008 and lasting for 2 days. Over 35 bands played in the festival, including Battleska Galactica, The Managers, The WBC, The Offbeats, The Bones and Ska Child. This festival was planned to have...
- Wellington's ska festival over 2 days. - G-TARanaki Guitar FestivalG-TARanaki Guitar FestivalGTaranaki also known as G-TARanaki was New Zealand's first international guitar festival held in New Plymouth, Taranaki, New Zealand annually from July 2008. The week long festival brings some of worlds best guitarists to Taranaki to perform, educate and inspire Kiwi guitarists and music fans...
- International guitar festival in New Plymouth, Taranaki. - Brown Trout Festival - 1983, 1984, on a farm east of Dannevirke
- Te Wairua - January 1986-89 and Gathering 1989 and Gathering 1990 (not connected to the Canaan Downs Gatherings); New Age festivals held on a farm east of OwhangoOwhangoright|200px|thumb|Owhango schoolOwhango is a small town in New Zealand situated about 20km south of Taumarunui on State Highway 4 .Formerly Owhango was a Mill Town, milling native timbers from around the local area. The mill burned to the ground in the 1970s...
on the bank of the WhakapapaWhakapapaWhakapapa , or genealogy, is a fundamental principle that permeates the whole of Māori culture. However, it is more than just a genealogical 'device'...
river. No mainstage, but a marquee and permanent building as HQ. Intensive, day-long Native American style sweat lodges were a feature of these festivals. Te Wairua is MāoriMaori languageMāori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...
for "The Spirit". - Zombies' Jamboree - c1987 acoustic music festival at Muhunoa, east of Ohau, Horowhenua
Memorable events
- The Great Ngaruawahia Music Festival - Corben Simpson removed all his clothes on stage and was reported nation-wide in the media, Black Sabbath burned a cross on the hill while getting the entire audience to light a match or lighter. "Todd (Hunter) ... gathered some friends and fellow performers for an appearance at the Great Ngaruawahia Music Festival. They wrote original songs for their set list, and someone pulled the name "Dragon" out of an I Ching book. Their performance at the Ngaruawahia Music Festival led to a better gig, a few weeks performing at the Occidental Hotel in Auckland."
- Sweetwaters Music Festival - On closing night with jam packed traffic, A man had a serious seizure, a doctor was called via helicopter, the police boat transferred the man across the Waipa river to a waiting ambulance, bound for Waikato hospital. On opening night a girl broke both ankles while riding the bonnet of a car into the farm.
- HinueraHinueraHinuera is a settlement in New Zealand....
- Mother Goose. - HinueraHinueraHinuera is a settlement in New Zealand....
- RagnarokRagnarökIn Norse mythology, Ragnarök is a series of future events, including a great battle foretold to ultimately result in the death of a number of major figures , the occurrence of various natural disasters, and the subsequent submersion of the world in water...
The main stage stopped due to rain, a rapid system was put together in the Barn for RagnarokRagnarökIn Norse mythology, Ragnarök is a series of future events, including a great battle foretold to ultimately result in the death of a number of major figures , the occurrence of various natural disasters, and the subsequent submersion of the world in water...
, using Greg Peacocks Cerwin-VegaCerwin-VegaCerwin-Vega is a manufacturing company that produces professional audio components, home audio speakers, and car audio components. It is part of the Stanton Group, along with Stanton Magnetics and KRK,...
composite bins, previously used as cross stage side fill monitors, on the main stage.
Books
- Keighley, Daniel. Sweetwaters: The Untold Story. Reviewed by Simon Sweetman: "Daniel Keighley was the man behind the financial disaster that was Sweetwaters ’99. He was charged with fraud and jailed and Sweetwaters: The Untold Story is his account of what went wrong. Billed as an autobiography."http://www.varsity.co.nz/books/articles.asp?id=5012
- Nambassa: A New Direction, edited by Colin Broadley and Judith Jones, A. H. & A. W. Reed, 1979.
External links
- Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand
- Sweetwaters: The Untold Story
- Oceania Audio
- Barton Sound
- Parihaka
- Parihaka Gallery
- NZ Music
- Nambassa Trust
- Bruce Sergent New Zealand Music
- New Zealand In Brief / Creative Life
- Strawberry Fields relisted PDF
- The Gathering archives
- Aotearoa Outdoor Styles
- FestivalPlanet Information on NZ Music Festivals in 2010
- History of New Zealand rock music festivals (NZHistory.net.nz)