Rhythm & Vines - NZ new year experience
21 Dec 2010
Rhythm & Vines, Gisborne
29 - 31 December, 2010
Sunshine, a fun atmosphere, world-class entertainment and a unique setting in a picturesque vineyard’s natural amphitheatre - it's no wonder New Zealand’s Rhythm & Vines is the place to be for New Year.
To top it off, the provincial New Zealand city of Gisborne is first in the world to see the sun, so it’s hardly surprising that thousands flock to the region to witness the dawning of a new year.
Festival goers camp out, relax in the legendary East Coast sunshine, wander amongst the vines, sample local food and wines from onsite stalls, and enjoy top and emerging rock, roots, jazz and dance artists.
Now in its eighth year, Rhythm & Vines has grown from a one-day event for 1500 "friends and friends of friends" to a three-day international, multi-million-dollar production that involves 2000 staff and attracts more than 20,000 visitors.
Kiwi experience
What is a uniquely Kiwi experience has become internationally renowned - with both the Times and Guardian UK newspapers ranking Rhythm & Vines in the ‘Top 5 New Years Event’ destinations in the world.
The annual festival was also recently named winner of New Zealand’s 2010 Tourism Industry award for Best Festival / Event.
Set on rolling hills with a commanding view over the sea, the vineyard becomes a visual wonderland of lights and lasers, pyrotechnics and special affects with multiple, themed stages and live interactive filming projected onto numerous screens and surfaces.
2010 festival line up
An eclectic mix of entertainment covers a number of genre, and the 2010/2011 festival offers an extensive line-up of local and overseas talent.
The international line-up includes N*E*R*D - from the US and fronted by Pharrell Williams, French chart toppers Justice, and dance music legend Carl Cox from the UK.
Kiwi acts include Shihad, iconic Kiwi / Aussie rock band Dragon, and up and coming New Zealand group The Naked and Famous.
Special Reserve VIP
While the Rhythm & Vines festival initially attracted a young audience with budget needs, today’s multi-genre entertainment and VIP facilities have broadened the appeal.
The 2010/2011 event offers a Special Reserve VIP package that not only includes extra space away from the heaving masses, but also an easy-access bar, chill out areas, fancy toilets, and premium on-site camping for the over 20s.
As well as continual action on the three main stages, organisers promise the venue will offer "outrageous things to tease the senses" - including interactive props and décor, sculptural elements, zany and quirky performers, cosy chill-out hammocks, a "hilariously famous" water slide, hidden forest stage, costumed circus performers, fire shows, art cars, flying ships and other "surprises".
Carbon neutral goal
Each ticket sold to the 2010 festival will include a NZ$4.50 fee to buy a redwood tree as part of the festival’s goal to become carbon neutral.
The trees will help offset a proportion of each visitor’s emissions, and help other environmental issues by reducing erosion and increasing the area's biodiversity.
Rhythm & Vines has invested in a permanent forest sink, and will introduce new trees to the R & V Forest every year.
Background: Rhythm & Vines Festival
Rhythm & Vines was conceived during a "bleak Dunedin winter in 2003" when university friends Hamish Pinkham and Tom Gibson were "sick of the cold and looking towards summer".
They "gave birth to a then illegitimate child" which was the idea of a summer festival amongst the hills of Gisborne, the first place in the world to see the sun.
Pinkham and Gibson found their "partner in crime" in Gisborne local Andrew Witters and the family vineyard Waiohika Estate which became the venue.
"With an amazing purpose-built concert amphitheatre and picturesque setting amongst vines, golden grass and rolling hills, Rhythm & Vines had found its home.
"Gisborne was the perfect destination. With beaches, beautiful summers, and Kiwi character, it was a town that old and new friends could be easily drawn to for a new year's party," say the founders.
Apart from the setting, the drawcard was the "party-starting, funk and dub blasting Black Seeds from Wellington" as well as a group of other upcoming New Zealand talent. With 1800 guests and stunning weather, the first Rhythm & Vines was a night to be remembered and the party Pinkham and Gibson had hoped for.
After the success of the 2003/04 New Year event, the festival was confirmed for the next year, and each year after that - every time getting bigger and better, they say.
"More fireworks, brighter laser shows, more impressive talent - stages were added, permanent toilets installed, Salmonella Dub headlining one year, Fat Freddy's drop the next."
By New Year's Day 2008, the organising team had decided a one-day event wasn’t enough, and Rhythm & Vines was extended to three days.
Today the event is billed as "the biggest and best New Year’s Eve festival experience New Zealand has to offer".
New Zealand outdoor concerts
Outdoor concerts are a popular fixture on New Zealand’s summer calendar. For more information about forthcoming events over the 2010/2011 season, check out:
Island concerts support NZ conservation
New Zealand Summer 2010/2011 highlights
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| Party time at Rhythm & Vines Festival, near Gisborne, NZ |
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