Furious parents criticise Soundsplash organisers over queues in hot sun

Teenage festivalgoers say they developed sunstroke symptoms while waiting hours in searing heat without water at Raglan’s Soundsplash over the weekend.

Furious parents described their anger with festival organisers, alleging security guards yelled obscenities and made sexual comments to attendees and neglected to provide shade for those waiting.

One 17-year-old told the Herald she started to feel faint and nauseous after waiting in the sun for seven hours.

“Two hours into the festival and I ended up in the medical tent due to severe nausea and shaking. My whole body is in pain,” she said.

The Raglan Airfield was set up as a site to drop off patrons at the festival, to get their entry wristbands and have their bags searched for alcohol and harmful substances.

"Shambles" of a queue as thousands of teens wait to board buses at Raglan airfield for Soundsplah. Photo / Yasmin Robertson

Festivalgoers were made to tip out their water bottles upon arrival at the airfield before they would be shuttled to the venue by bus.

But parents and attendees claimed little to no water was provided while thousands of people crowded into a fenced-off area at the airfield.

Soundsplash organiser Brian Ruawai denied the claims no water was provided but did apologise for the long waits.

Regarding reports of people suffering in the heat, Ruawai said, “our event communications encourage all attendees to bring sun protection and appropriate clothing for an outdoor festival”.

The Herald previously reported the delays were caused by one shuttle bus breaking down and were further exasperated as the bus drivers took their mandatory breaks.

Some attendees called taxicabs or parents to take them home. Others grew tired of waiting for the two buses operating and asked their parents to drive them directly to the venue, or decided to walk.

Festivalgoer Yasmin Robertson said some water was handed out but claimed it was only “one bottle [for us to share] between like millions of us here”.

“No one’s helping. One security guard is yelling at us saying we’ll be last on the bus because we’ve stood up [amid] the rush to get on.”

Soundsplash festivalgoers in Raglan were forced to wait for hours in the hot sun without water. Photo / Supplied

One parent and another attendee told the Herald a security guard made sexual innuendos upon finding a cucumber inside a festivalgoer’s backpack.

Ruawai was approached regarding claims about the comments which one parent called “crass and vulgar” but did not respond by deadline.

A parent claimed their teen had been yelled at to “sit down and shut the f*** up”.

Another parent said her daughter’s bags had been thrown off the bus as security told them another group was going ahead of them.

“They’re just kids, they’re only teenagers,” the distressed mother said.

Some parents were also unable to contact their children as their phones had started to run out of charge while they waited.

“My daughter is with a group of five others, I know the other parents and everyone’s tearing their hair out,” one said.

“Being up in Auckland we feel pretty helpless, no one [from Soundsplash] is getting back to us. It’s disappointing, especially considering the same thing happened two years ago.”

In 2021, the festival was called a logistical disaster by irate parents as kids threw up after waiting in the sun and pre-drinking.

Festival organisers apologised then, saying stringent checking for illicit substances was responsible for the delays.