Rocking Viaduct Basin a big hit with public

By ALAN PERROTT

Ideas for future events are being sought after about 100,000 Aucklanders turned out during an eight-hour free concert at the Viaduct Basin.

Organisers are thrilled with the public response to the show, which featured a top Kiwi musical lineup, including Dave Dobbyn, stellar* and Greg Johnson.

Auckland City Council spokesman Scott Milne said the event on Saturday overshadowed all previous stopovers of the Volvo Ocean Race.

"Not only have we exceeded cities like Sydney, but this is already bigger than all the previous Whitbread round-the-world races. It was like the America's Cup all over again."

A council thinktank is being formed to come up with further events for the basin - and any ideas would be welcome.

"I think we've proved we have the infrastructure and skills to hold these events and Aucklanders obviously love the venue, so we will certainly be interested in any ideas on how the basin can be used more effectively," said Mr Milne.

A spokesman for ACVL, which manages the Viaduct Basin, said the concert left everyone smiling.

"It took a lot of work, but everyone is pleased, from retailers to sponsors to the public. We're happy to see that the event worked and it just shows what should be happening down there more often."

The concert kicked off several weeks of entertainment to celebrate the yacht-race stopover, with a large slice of the bill being picked up by Auckland City ratepayers.

The council set aside $1.5 million to finance events associated with the stopover. The cost of the concert was budgeted at $155,000.

An interactive exhibition is being set up on Fanshawe St featuring a cutaway Volvo 60 yacht, and the public will also be able to stroll around the racing yachts once they are pulled out of the water.

nzherald.co.nz/marine