Northland send-off in the form of a haka for Juicy Fest artists

Whangārei was the host of Juicy Festival on Wednesday night, which featured a star-studded lineup and several Grammy Award-winning artists, with some attendees dubbing it the best night of their life.

Cyclone Hale may have put a dampener on the ground, but by the time the festival began, the weather held out long enough for the audiences to enjoy the night.

The northernmost city was the last leg of the New Zealand-wide tour, and attendees gave the artists a memorable send-off in the form of a traditional haka.

The MC said to the artists as they lined up on the stage, “Right now, you guys are going to experience what we do best here in Aotearoa.”

The voices of around 8,000 audience members carried through the air as the festival came to an end.

Videos have since circulated on TikTok and Facebook, with viewers commenting the artists must have been “blown away” by the gesture.

In a previous interview with the Northern Advocate, Juicy Fest founder and organiser Glenn Meikle explained Whangārei was chosen as the festival’s location because such areas often miss out on festival-style shows.

“Northland is a stunning place with so much to offer, and we hope that by including Whangārei, along with every other centre on our tour, these cities and New Zealand will be exposed to the world and, in turn, boost tourism and our economy.

“By touring the festival to multiple centres, it means it’s easier for more people to attend,” he said.

Grammy Award-winners Ne-Yo, Nelly and Mýa, along with Chingy, Lloyd, Ja Rule, Bow Wow, Xzibit, Pretty Ricky, and Twista performed for the crowd.

The first act was American rapper and record producer Twista. Photo / Tania Whyte

Attendees travelled from all over, including Auckland, Kerikeri, Moerewa and Kaikohe for the highly-anticipated festival.

While the night went off without any hiccups, ticket holders had previously raised concerns that the festival was too good to be true, likening it to the Fyre Festival, which infamously turned out to be a scam.

Organisers had to come out and reassure ticket holders that the festival would be going ahead.

A taste of Northland carried through the night, with many festival-goers sporting red-band gumboots in preparation for soggy grounds.

Around 12 rubbish collectors attended the event with the promise of free tickets, with local councillor Nick Connop taking part in the extensive clean-up of discarded alcohol cans.

Councillor Nick Connop lending a helping hand at Juicy Fest.

Connop said the crowd were more than happy to help pick up rubbish, which he called “fantastic”.

“There were so many people saying ‘thank you very much’, and so many people chipping in, being tidy Kiwis.”

Although there was some disorder in the crowd, Connop said “as always” with events, the “bad eggs” cause some problems, but added that “everybody was happy”.

“It was a really good vibe,” he said.

While the festival inside played out without any mishaps, some attendees reported that cars near the stadium were broken into on the same night.

According to Northland operations manager and Acting Inspector Kylie Newton, police monitored the event and there were no major issues to report.

Three people were arrested following the event in relation to disorder incidents.

The Advocate understands one of these occurred on Bank Street, and another on Western Hills Drive.