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Problems with quarantine forces NZ festival to cancel

Bay Dreams 2022, a two-date music festival in two cities on the North Island of New Zealand, has been cancelled due to problems surrounding quarantining and international travel for acts.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, New Zealand and Australia have been particularly strict with their border control and quarantining on arrival. 

The organisers released a statement which said: “As it stands, there is much uncertainty around the trans-Tasman bubble and quarantine spaces are extremely difficult to obtain. A queue of 30,000+ people are trying to gain access to a few thousand rooms.

“This results in a lot of uncertainty around which international artists will be able to enter NZ this summer.” 

Bay Dreams was supposed to happen January 3 in Nelson with a capacity of 13,000 while an event in Tauranga was due to take place January 6, with a predicted 30,000 people attending. 

International acts included electronic artists such as Chase & Status and Netsky. Australian musicians were also set to perform and included Tash Sultana and Tones and I.

The statement continued: “So with this in mind, we have made the difficult decision to give Bay Dreams the year off in 2022. It wouldn’t be right to do a watered down version. Bay Dreams is confirmed to return in 2023, when there will be more clarity around hosting our major international talent.” 

Organisers added: “Your refund for Bay Dreams is now automatically underway.”

However, organisers introduced two alternative events in the same cities on the same dates with the select few international acts that have managed to secure quarantine places. These include acts Netsky, Hybrid Minds, Friction and Koven at present. 

The statement said: “We are working with our friends at Trademark Live who have secured quarantine spaces for Netsky, Hybrid Minds, Friction and Koven so far. We can now announce that two premium electronic events will be taking place in both Tauranga and Nelson on the same dates.”

It added: “Tickets for these new shows will be limited to ensure the best possible experience. As a thank you for your support this year, Bay Dreams ticket holders will receive exclusive first access to purchase for the new shows.”

Image: Vonecia Carswell on Unsplash