Salmonella Dub won't be playing in Northland this summer after the Bay of Islands Music Festival, planned for January 29, was cancelled due to Covid uncertainty.
Salmonella Dub won't be playing in Northland this summer after the Bay of Islands Music Festival, planned for January 29, was cancelled due to Covid uncertainty.
The Bay of Islands Music Festival - that was to have featured Kiwi bands including Salmonella Dub - has fallen victim to Covid uncertainty with the event cancelled.
The festival was to have been held on January 29, but promoter Jackie Sanders, from Jacman Entertainment said it was with huge disappointment she had to cancel the event.
The all-NZ line-up included Dub & Bass heavyweights, Salmonella Dub, with Tiki Taane; Laughton Kora, Whrimako Black; rapper JessB, rootsy pop singer Muroki, riddim royalty Sunshine Sound System, with Rubi Du, dancehall DJ BIG G and the legendary Savage.
Northland band Sojourn and performance artists The Holy Roller had also been added to the line-up.
Sanders said in December, the Northland region was left in red under the traffic light system while the rest of the country moved to orange. A decision on whether Northland will move into Orange is not expected until later this week.
This has resulted in much uncertainty, making it difficult to plan effectively, Sanders said. "We have held on for as long as we could before making this difficult decision, but uncertainty over the traffic light system level on the date of the festival, the ongoing threat of large gatherings being implicated as exposure events, coupled with Northland lagging behind with vaccination rates is all conspiring to negatively impact what should be a fun celebration" she said.
"We feel we need to pause until we the country has moved through this critical stage of the pandemic"
BOI Music Festival was following the government guidelines in relation to live events and vaccine passports, and all crew and artists were fully vaccinated.
Festival organisers had also supported the national Vax For Life campaign as well as the regional Take Tow For the Team vaccination initiative.
''We acknowledge all the amazing work being done locally to get Northland open and operating safely, it is vitally important for local suppliers, accommodation and tourism operators to continue,'' Sander said.
Thousands of fans flock to the Bay of Islands Music Festival, but this year's edition, on January 29, has been cancelled due to uncertainty about the region's Covid red light status
"We are just a small cog in a big wheel, but we know our cancellation will have an impact on many local businesses, This is the 10th event or festival we have had to cancel since August.
"All the suppliers and artists have been incredibly supportive, so it is devastating to have to make this decision"
Jacman Entertainment is looking at possibilities for presenting some smaller events over the summer with restricted numbers and have already confirmed that Salmonella Dub, with Tiki Taane can play at Waitangi over Easter Weekend on April16. A series of smaller events are planned in the region if permitted, including a music, wine and food series at Carrington Estate in Karikari Peninsula.
Festival ticket holders will be contacted directly to claim a refund, she said.
It's the second Northland music festival cancelled in a week. The Northern Bass music festival in Northland has been cancelled, organisers citing low vaccination rates and the growing threat of Omicron as reasons for their decision.
Northern Bass was originally scheduled to run on New Year's Eve, but was postponed until January 28-30. Organisers decided they couldn't wait for the region to shift out of red.
