RAVE: Frequency New Year's Eve ticket sales assistants (L to R) Mikala Stanton-Hough, Kiri Binnersley, and Jan Reichelt. PHOTO/GEORGE NOVAK
RAVE: Frequency New Year's Eve ticket sales assistants (L to R) Mikala Stanton-Hough, Kiri Binnersley, and Jan Reichelt. PHOTO/GEORGE NOVAK
Ticket sales have ramped up in the past few days for Tauranga's first New Year's event for under 18s featuring some of the country's top musicians and DJs.
That includes chart toppers Peking Duk who headline the rave party.
Mark Smith, Tauranga City Council's New Year's Eve operations manager, saidticket sales for Frequency NYE at ASB Arena had hit the 1100 mark with early bird tickets sold out.
"We've done everything to deliver an outstanding event for the youth that live in Tauranga and those that flocked into our city for the summer period," he said.
"With a brilliant line-up for an affordable price we offer teens the unique opportunity to celebrate New Year's Eve with their friends in an outstanding environment that is safe and fun at the same time."
Since then, Peking Duk had carved their way through big sellout shows and festival performances to 40,000-plus crowds.
Their latest single Stranger had gone platinum pretty quickly, breaking all their previous records.
Mr Smith said Kiwi favourite Donell Lewis, music duo Times x Two and Ministry of Sound DJ Mikael Wills and some well-known local acts offered a full night's entertainment.
Final release tickets for the 5000 capacity crowd were available for $25 through website theticketfairy.com, and the NYE ticket booth Beach Base next to Mount Drury.
Anyone wanting tickets should head down to Mount Drury between 10am and 4pm for some special ticket deals or the chance to win tickets at the Beach Base.
Mount Drury-based Box Office sales assistant Kiri Binnersley said ticket sales for the Frequency NYE event had definitely ramped up overnight including more than 100 selling via the website.
Ms Binnersley said it was good to see increased interest in Tauranga's newest event strictly for attendees aged 14 to 17.
"We hope to sell quite a few more tickets well ahead of the big night. We don't want people to miss out," she said.
Each ticket included a free bus ride to and from the event by Uzabus, with pick-up and drop-off at various nominated bus stops in Mount Maunganui, Papamoa, Greerton, Windermere, Brookfield, Otumoetai and Welcome Bay.
Crowds at the main stage of the last Bay Dreams Music Festival. Photo/file
Bay Dreams ticket holders are selling the prized possessions for profit, after the tickets continuously have sold out despite 3000 more being released this month.
A one-day festival pass without camping had an original price of $155, however some punters were fetching $300 for a ticket on Trade Me.
Trade Me communications adviser Jeff Hunkin said it was a case of supply and demand.
"It's inevitable that this scarcity will result in a secondary market, and those willing to pay more will have the opportunity to nab a ticket."
He said only a very small percentage of available tickets actually ended up on Trade Me, with about 38 listings for Bay Dreams currently on the site.
Bay Dreams organiser Pato Alvarez encouraged people to use their site www.theticketfairy.com for resales, which managed money safely for both parties.
