Up to 6000 expected to enjoy top festival line-up

WEALTH OF TALENT: Fat Freddy's Drop are one of the acts performing at a Mangawhai New Year's festival attracting around 6000 people. PHOTO/ FILE

Come New Year's about 6000 people will flock to a Mangawhai farm for a musical festival expected to inject many thousands of dollars into the local economy.

Organisers of Northern Bass are anticipating between 5500 to 6000 people to the fourth annual event, which features a strong line-up of bass-driven artists, including Noisia, Andy C, Fat Freddy's Drop, Goldie and New York rapper Pharaoh Monch, to name a few.

The two-day R18 festival on a Settlement Rd property is anticipated to inject many thousands of dollars into local businesses, Mangawhai Business Development Association chairman Mike McGarry said.

"Those numbers haven't been crunched but anecdotally there has been an influx of wealth into Mangawhai during that period. Any activity that racks up those numbers of people is extremely positive for Mangawhai. As an asset to the community, it's pretty strong. The influx of holidaymakers is phenomenal. It's a good time for local businesses."

He hopes the people who come to the festival to visit will come back to Mangawhai as holiday-makers, holiday home purchasers or residents.

"It's really that new experience aspect. All of the economy benefits from Northern Bass," Mr McGarry said.

Owner of host company FuZen Entertainment, Gareth Popham, said the festival has been growing an average of 40 to 50 per cent per year, and this year will feature three stages for acts, a log cabin and a natural swimming lagoon on site, as well as camping facilities for punters.

FuZen Entertainment have hired local businesses and staff where possible, and around 2500 people attending who aren't camping on-site will potentially use local accommodation, Mr Popham said.

In its inaugural year, the festival was held up in Haruru Falls in the Far North, which was found to be "too far away". Organisers then met with owners of the Settlement Rd property where the event's been held ever since. "It's just an hour north of Auckland," he said. "We have a long-term deal on the property - eight years."

Despite its rapid growth, Mr Popham wants to maintain the boutique feel of the festival and said he would cap it in the future at around 8000 to 9000 people. In comparison, the huge Gisborne event Rhythm and Vines attracts around 30,000 people every year.

The Northern Bass New Year's Festival is on December 30 and 31.