Splore
23rd – 25th February 2018
Tapapakanga Regional Park, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Lauren Sanderson. Photography by Connor Crawford.
The much-loved festival Splore is going to be the word on everybody’s lips as the three-day event has pulled off yet again another outstanding entertainment extravaganza. Known for its eclectic line-up of musical artists, the unique festival also embraces multiple art forms ranging from dance works, acrobatics, cabaret, theatre to fancy dress, each just as extravagant as the next.
While the music is just a slither of what Splore has to offer, it certainly is a great slither. The team spend months each year checking out the world’s best artists to bring to the festival. This year’s line-up didn’t disappoint with artists such as British hip-hop legend Dizzee Rascal, New Zealand’s very own Greg Churchill, all the way from Berlin Bonaparte and many more. Made up of 5 stages, you really are spoilt for choice. Splore doesn’t have a specific type of music genre and that’s what’s so great about it, they have everything from house to reggae. This attracts a multitude of people and is the key to making the festival so diverse.
With so much amazingness going on it’s hard to know where to begin, so let’s talk about the best bits.
Fridays highlight was definitely headlining act, British-born Dizzee Rascal. He had the crowd under his cockney charm from start to finish. The energy was unreal as the main stage quickly started to pack out. The crowd waited patiently for Dizzee to make his grand entrance and although we were waiting longer than anticipated, it was certainly worth the wait. Kicking off the night with some of his old classics, we were reminded why we loved the rascal. His energy throughout was great and he even checked in with security making sure that everything was A-Okay. Closing his set with his hit track Holiday, he transported us to a happier time, with the beautiful beach surroundings, drink in hand and the sound of Dizzee – could life get any better? Just as we thought we were bidding farewell, things started to get a little bit bonkers – things turned up a notch and the 2009 hit blasted through Tapapakanga Park. The crowd did in fact go a little bit bonkers and in that moment, I wished I could capture the atmosphere in a jar, because it was such a unique experience.
Just a short walk from the main stage, the DJ Stage was brought to life by American hip-artist Black Milk (check out our interview with him here). He took us to his hometown in a lively energetic set that demonstrated just how talented the Detroit DJ is. UK Hip-hop artist DJ MK performed alongside Dizzee Rascal earlier in the evening and later played his own set at the DJ Stage, but unfortunately his set didn’t quite live up to his earlier performance. There was a little too much bass and the set became very repetitive. New Zealand DJ Greg Churchill brought the party back to the DJ stage playing an outstanding house set form 1.30-3.30am. It was loud and proud and is exactly what the Dr ordered at 3AM.
Although Friday night was a better night for music, Saturday was the night for dress-up! This is the night where you can glisten and shine (quite literally, glitter galore). This year’s theme was mystical ritual and was the perfect opportunity to let out your alter ego. Dressing up in whatever you desire is actually wonderfully liberating and encourages creativity while making a culturally respectful space, where there is no judgement in the slightest.
Auckland based four-piece Racing brought a different sound to the main stage on Saturday night, their blend of rock and dance music had all party-goers feeling ready for the night ahead and who could forget the air guitars. Berlin based electro punk band Bonaparte played a unique set and singer-songwriter Tobias Jundt was even spotted enjoying the festival in a pair of beautiful white short shorts. You go Tobias!
Now I could talk about the music forever as there was endless artists who deserve a shout out but Splore is so much more than just the music, as cliché as it sounds it’s about the energy, the people and the atmosphere – all of which was spot on. Not only do they have all your entertainment needs sorted but they also make sure you are well looked after and feeling refreshed the next day with their wellness central section. You can balance your mind, body and spirit in one of the free workshops, classes or treatments centres and trust me this is necessary for you to continue raving the next day.
Walking through the festival grounds you’ll find all walks of life, one minute you’ll see children running around and the next you can see partygoers drinking and having a great time. The experience is unique to each individual and everybody comes together for the freedom and the love of the arts. It’s a shame that civilisation cannot adopt Splore’s way of thinking as we would have one happy society. The music was constantly flowing, the food was delicious, the vibe was enticing, and the fancy dress was damn right crazy. It’s hard to put Splore into words as I feel no words will ever do it justice, but I am going to leave you with this which sums up the experience perfectly – ‘Mrs Byrne’s Dictionary of Unusual, Obscure and preposterous words defines Splore as merry making festivities, carousing and frolicking, a good going session.’
Until next time Splore!
Were you there at Tapapakanga Regional Park for this magnificent music festival? Or have you been to Splore sometime else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!