05 December 2012 - 0 Comments

How do you make a music festival in New Zealand stand out from the crowd, and create an atmosphere that will not just kick off a 10^th anniversary in style, but also keep the crowds coming back for 10 more years? This is exactly what the Rhythm and Vines team have been asking themselves all year, and for year 10 we’re sure we’ve created something truly special.

The diverse line-up is already locked in, with a range of local and international artists such as Tame Impala, Kimbra, Mark Ronson, Home Brew, Netsky and Chase and Status ensuring all tastes are catered to and people are sure to discover something they’ve never heard before. But when you’re planning for nearly 30,000 people to take over Waiohika Estate from December 29^th until the early hours of January 1^st, there has to be a lot more going on to create a true festival atmosphere.

Festival Production & Art

R&V’s production team are going all out this year, with expansion and improvements in all areas of the site. The stages (Rhythm, Vines, Cellar and Red Bull Music Academy) are all new this year and state-of-the-art. Meanwhile the site will be taken over by lavish structures, installations, projected imagery, and an array of lighting effects.  Also new this year is the Rhythm Rider, a mobile DJ soundsystem that will move around the site. The peak of the production team’s efforts will be seen on the 31^st, with a spectacular fireworks display marking R&V’s tenth midnight countdown.

Boom Town

Fans are familiar with R&V’s Electric Avenue, a quirky lane of stalls containing ‘The Fridge’ and other mischief. But now to add to the fun there will also be Boom Town, a brand-new area of vendors near the Vines Stage with all sorts of treats, like make-up artistry, hairdressing, novelties, clothing and food. There will also be fancy dress costumes - which will come in handy on the 30^th for R&V’s first official Dress-Up Day!

Onsite Campgrounds

With the onsite campgrounds now expanded to accommodate 8,000 people, the R&V team has put considerable effort into keeping campers occupied each day before the stages open. A ‘Sports and Activities’ manager is now on board, and a timetable of daily events will be rolled out, including; beach volleyball, water pong, a bootcamp for the fitness freaks, sleeping bag races, a graffiti wall and more. The first and last nights of camping (28 Dec and 1 Jan) will have movie screenings, now that R&V’s facebook fans have voted for their favourite films.

Vintage Club

R&V’s VIP upgrades are becoming more popular each year for festival-goers who want a stylish respite from the heaving crowds. This year the team has created Vintage Club, where those seeking cocktails, comfort and elevated views can party in a more intimate setting.

New Acts!

With only a few weeks to go until the festival opens, R&V is happy to announce new additions to the packed line-up. There are now approximately 120 acts!

First up, Youngman is one of the UK’s most vibrant vocal talents. The MC will be heading over from London to join Benga on the Vines Stage after midnight on NYE. He has worked with Benga on some of his biggest tracks and will release his own debut album in 2013 – expect big things.

Next, UK drum and bass/dubstep producer Breakage will be making his R&V debut on the Rhythm Stage on the 31^st. Former R&V headliner Roots Manuva describes his bass-heavy sound; “Breakage is a man with an ear for deep, deep, sub-sonic frequencies. He goes in low. I thinking he’s talking to sea-life.”

Filling up the rest of the festival billing is an impressive roster of local acts, including many popular local Gisborne artists such as; Soul Society, BrazilBeat Soundsystem, The Missing Link and DJ Exile.

Full list of new acts is here:

Youngman

Breakage

Julian Dyne

Clarke Gayford

The Wyld

Adnan Belushi

Aroha

Banglade$h

Black White Dynamite

BrazilBeat Sound System

Cassette Nine DJ's

Diaz Grimm

Ditto

DJ Exile

DJ Hat

Eddie Numbers

Fighting Like Stags

Front Left

Hamish Pinkham

Hexadecimal

Jarrod Phillips

Jash

Jonas, Tim Livingston & Olluss

Jono Fektious

Katie Wilbert

K/LINE

Kaleidoscopes

Matt Empyre

Mikael Wills

MTI

Randonplay

Ratsmagic

Soul Society

Stack & Piece

Suren Unka

The Leers

The Lost Boys

The Missing Link

TIMES X TWO

Tom Martin

U-Khan

Young Lyre

Rhythm & Vines

December 29-31, 2012

Waiohika Estate, Gisborne, NZ

Tickets: http://www.rhythmandvines.co.nz/

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