Thousands of New Zealand festival-goers safely attend non-socially distanced festivals

After controlling the outbreak of the COVID-19 crisis, the music and events industry of New Zealand is now beginning to return to normality, with multiple festivals and events hosting thousands of attendees taking place; with no need for social distancing.

The nation’s largest music festival; Rhythm & Vines, which ran from the 29th to the 31st of December in the city of Gisbourne hosted up to 20,000 festival-goers, all of which were not required to wear masks or socially distance, thanks to the country’s efforts of subduing the spread of the virus. Ticket-holders to the landmark festival witnessed performances from outstanding local talent, including the likes of Benee, Quix, and Fat Freddy’s Drop, among many others.

On the South Island, celebrating its 10th anniversary was Rhythm & Alps, another festival which saw 10,000 attendees welcome in the New Year over the same three days. Artists such as Six60, Chaos in the CBD, and Shihad graced the stage to the delight of fans. Also celebrating the New Year over three days was Northern Bass hosted on the North Island in the town of Mangawhai.

This is in contrast to the illegal New Year’s Eve raves held around the world, which only serves to prolong the crisis. New Zealand currently counts less than 100 active COVID-19 cases, a remarkable feat which can no doubt be attributed to their strict implementation of lockdown measures early on in the pandemic, and as a result are now enjoying large-scale festivals much to the envy of the rest of the world.

Image Credit: ActionVance on Unsplash