6 Dec 2021

South Island music festival set to rock New Year's in orange light

8:38 am on 6 December 2021

Rhythm and Alps in Wanaka, promoted as the South Island's biggest New Year's festival, will be bucking the trend for large events and going ahead this year.

People party at last year's Rhythm and Alps festival.

Crowds party at a previous Rhythm and Alps festival. Photo: Supplied

Events around the country such as the popular Rhythm and Vines in Gisborne have either been cancelled or postponed due to the difficulties in checking vaccine certificates.

However the organisers of the three-day music and camping festival in the Cardrona Valley said they had found a way.

Each attendee will be required to upload their vaccine passport to their ticketing account before to entering the festival grounds, festival organiser Alex Turnbull said.

Staff checking tickets at the gate would be able to see straight away if the person had both their vaccinations.

"It's a really safe measure to ensure we run a safe event, so there is ID and vaccine passports associated with entry," Turnbull said.

Organisers were confident that with Queenstown and Wanaka sitting at 95 percent double vaccinated, they would be able to put on a safe party for the 10,000 expected to attend.

Some 40 percent of attendees came from outside the region which provided a boost to the local economy, organisers said.

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