REVIEW
There was a main stage at Mount Maunganui's Bay Dreams festival but which one was hard to tell at times throughout the 10.5 hour event.
Four stages, each one themed, a line-up of crazily talented creatives who owned each set as well as visually satisfying props, production and entertainment throughout a spread-out Trustpower Baypark venue on January 2, made for a stunning musical start to Tauranga's peak summer period.
Bay Dreams 2019 delivered so much to festival-goers - great music, lots of energy and so much variety.
The main stage - the Alice in Wonderland-themed Field of Dreams - retained the crowds throughout the day thanks to the quality line-up including the ridiculously talented Tash Sultana, Kiwi faves Katchafire, the good vibes of Sticky Fingers, the ultra cool Ladi6, hip hop favourite Sheck Wes, the always-on point Peking Duck and of course the always entertaining hip hop Superstar Cardi B.
With such massive names, it's no surprise festival-goers were in high spirits, dancing around and full of energy. There was no lack of lads and lasses confidently enjoying themselves - it was a vibe for sure.
Sheck Wes was an obvious crowd favourite, with people flocking to the stage ahead of his high energy performance. He commanded the stage from start to finish with the crowd amped up throughout.
Soon after, fans got the Cardi B experience they expected and wanted. The tongue-poking, twerk-dancing, okurrt-saying hip hop superstar gave it all and more. In her 30-minute set, she gave her fans what they wanted - lots of twerking, R18 lyrics, strange noises, tongue-poking and of course hit after hit that the crowd made known they knew every word to. It's hard to even single out one record fans were most excited about because they gave plenty of energy as she started every one.
Although she was by far the biggest drawcard of the night, Macky Gee pulled an enthusiastic crowd over at the Mad Max-themed Bay Park stage at the time.
Throughout the event, the Bay Park stage was a must-be-at spot. With a line-up that also featured Home Brew, $uicideboy$,Β PNAU and Joey Bada$$ it's no surprise there were times that stage was just as popular, and at times even more popular, than the main one. It went off and plenty of fans scaled heights for a better viewing experience of their favourites.
Bay Dreams 2019, you were a solid experience that went off at all times - I'm here for the next one.
Enjoy yourselves today, Nelson.