Party on! Bay Dreams music festival under way in Mount Maunganui

The rain has arrived but the party continues at Bay Dreams. Photo / George Novak

Traffic is crawling towards Baypark from every direction as major music festival Bay Dreams gets underway in Mount Maunganui.

It is an overcast day in Tauranga as up to 20,000 make their way into the venue.

Metservice has forecast showers with possible thunderstorms for Tauranga, easing tonight.

A heavy rain warning in force this morning expired at 2pm but the city appears to have escaped the worst of the wet weather.

A reporter at the festival said just before 3pm rain was falling but people were still smiling, with many having come prepared with ponchos.

He earlier said roads surrounding the venue were congested even as many festivalgoers were making their way in on foot.

Queues at the entry were beginning to build about 2pm. Photo / George Novak

Gates opened at 11am but queues were beginning to build mid-afternoon. The Bay Dreams livestream at 2pm showed an enthusiastic crowd for Kiwi band Katchafire on the Field of Dreams stage.

People are being breathalysed on entry with some made to wait an hour to sober up before being allowed in.

Truman Lane is fully closed to traffic, with several road closures planned for later today around Baypark.

Bay Dreams 2021 is underway. Photo / George Novak

According to Waka Kotahi, NZ Transport Agency, from 7pm today to 1am tomorrow the following roads will be closed:

• SH2 between Te Maunga intersection (SH29A) and Sandhurst Drive, in both directions (heading towards Pāpāmoa and Mount Maunganui).

• SH2 between Bayfair Roundabout and Te Maunga intersection (SH29A), eastbound lanes only (heading towards Pāpāmoa and Maungatapu)

• SH29A between SH2 and Maungatapu, southbound lane only.

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Free buses for ticket-holders to the venue are operating from 10.30am to 4pm, with drop-and-ride sites in Durham St in the CBD, Gordon Spratt Reserve in Papamoa and Blake Park in Mount Maunganui.

Buses will be operating in the opposite direction from 8.30pm to closing.