Tamara Ramage, Tegan Ramage, Levi Paki-Borell, Ashleigh Ramage, Nahu Stevens and Shiloh Hall. Photo / Supplied
Tamara Ramage, Tegan Ramage, Levi Paki-Borell, Ashleigh Ramage, Nahu Stevens and Shiloh Hall. Photo / Supplied
Thousands of hip-hop and R&B fans - some who spent thousands of dollars - have been left “gutted” after their dreams of seeing their favourite artists were dashed last minute.
Organisers of the star-studded event, Juicy Fest Tauranga, say they have been left “heartbroken” the event was called off because of weather-related safety concerns but every single option was looked at.
In a media release and in a post to its Facebook page about 8.20am, it said the cancellation was due to increasing safety concerns from potentially dangerous weather conditions.
It posted about 2.30pm to say the afterparty would still be held from 10.30pm tonight and tickets were on sale.
Juicy Fest promoter Glenn Meikle said in the release that with a heavy rain warning and strong winds in place for parts of the Bay of Plenty, including around Tauranga, it would be “irresponsible” to allow the event to go ahead.
“Our team has been on site through the night monitoring weather conditions.
“We have been forced into this decision but we know this is the right thing to do because we are prioritising the safety of our patrons, artists and crew.
“We are completely gutted but we cannot risk anyone’s safety,” Meikle said.
The statement said the team was “heartbroken” and Meikle said the Tauranga event would have been one of the biggest shows on the Juicy Fest tour.
Crews spent the morning packing away the equipment that had already been set up before Juicy Fest Tauranga was called off. Photo / Laura Smith
The Palmerston North, Auckland and Whangārei events were still on track to go ahead with tickets still available.
It was the second Trustpower Baypark concert to be canned due to the weather this week, after A Summer’s Day Live was cancelled due to strong winds.
Heavy rain watches for the western Bay of Plenty and Coromandel were upgraded to warnings, which were in place until midnight Friday with a chance of it being extended.
MetService forecast there would be 8.3mm/h of rain falling in Tauranga around 3pm - the event gates were meant to open at 2.30pm.
The average wind speed sat around 30km/h for most of the day but this did not include gusts, which were around 50km/h at 2pm and were expected to continue through until the evening.
Meikle had told the Bay of Plenty Times on Thursday that wind was an issue if it reached 50km/h.
Today he said they really wanted the event to go ahead, particularly with Tauranga being his hometown, and they had worked hard over the last year to make it happen.
Pleasure P from Pretty Ricky was among the artists performing at the Napier show on Thursday. Photo / Paul Taylor
”We just hoped that the weather might change and come through a bit earlier ... We had to make the call at about seven this morning.
”That was pushing the boundaries.”
Options were considered, including hosting the event on Monday instead but it was not possible to book in all the necessary contractors like traffic control.
“We looked at every single option.”
Meikle said they wanted to host the event annually, “so we will definitely bring a show next year”.
Nahu Stevens from Invercargill said the cancellation was pretty “gutting” as he took time off work with his partner to attend the festival.
They had paid about $600 for VIP tickets, $300 for a pre-paid wrist band and $800 for flights.
”We’re bummed out and are going to Rotorua today instead to have some fun.”
Tamara Ramage and her sisters, Tegan and Ashleigh, and brother-in-law Levi Paki-Borell bought tickets to Juicy Festival when they first came out in June and travelled from Invercargill the day before the event.
The rows of portaloos were ready and waiting for the thousands expected at the cancelled Juicy Fest Tauranga. Photo / Laura Smith
They had booked accommodation six months ago at an Airbnb in Matua.
”We were trying to be as prepared as possible because it is really expensive. It is not an easy feat to get here.”
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have them all together in one concert. It was almost too good to be true.”
She said they were gutted to be missing out on some of their favourite artists.
”It is even more gutting because we are already here. It is literally the day of.”
It would have been nice to have had more notice of the cancellation and perhaps they could have received a refund for their accommodation and plane tickets, she said.
Ramage said they spent about $1000 each on flights, accommodation, and tickets to the event.
“So about $4000. It is a very expensive trip. We are only being refunded for the tickets, which was the cheapest part.”
But the family was trying to remain positive and instead said they would be playing songs from the artists on the line-up on Spotify and will have their own concert at the accommodation.
Ramage said they had run into fellow festival-goers who had also already bought ponchos and gumboots to prepare for the wet weather and had topped up their wristbands.
”Everyone was so excited. I feel for everybody that has come a long way to get here.”
The family was staying until Sunday and would “make the most of it” by spending the weekend exploring the region.
Secret Spot Hot Tubs Rotorua co-owner Keith Kolver said their bookings had been “pretty solid”.
“No doubt there are some festival-goers that would like to sit in the hot tub and have a drink here rather than sitting in their hotels back in Tauranga.”
All tickets will be automatically fully refunded to the card used to make the purchase within 14 working days. Tickets are not transferable to another event elsewhere.
People with hardcopy tickets were advised to contact the salesperson directly. Pre-paid top-ups would also be fully refunded, with people asked to register their account via the online portal: juicyfest-tauranga2023.gettoken.com/ for the refund.
The statement from Meikle read: “We understand any frustrations and inconvenience caused by this cancellation but we trust you can accept that this call was not made lightly, and only with everyone’s safety in mind.”
Continuing heavy rain in the Bay of Plenty also forced Baypark Speedway to postpone tomorrow’s race meeting.
The first 2023 meeting of the summer season would have featured the annual Metalman Demolition Der-Bay and a record 54-car field for the Harry Fredrickson Stock Car Gold Cup, as well as Saloon Car and F2 Midget Car competition at Baypark Speedway on January 7. The event will be rescheduled for later in the season.
