Bay Dreams south festival still going ahead despite weather risks

Bay Dreams Nelson organisers are now hoping to avoid consecutive cancellations. Photo / George Novak

The rain is set to fall, but the show must go on as far as Bay Dreams festival organisers are concerned.

A number of weather warnings have been issued for parts of the North Island and upper South Island as heavy rain and strong winds are forecast to hit.

Among the regions expected to be hit with rainfall up to 180mm between Wednesday and Friday this week is Nelson - where Bay Dreams festival is about to launch.

The festival kicks off on Thursday, crowds of up to 13,000 packed out Nelson’s Rutherford Park in 2021 but was cancelled last year by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Bay Dreams already kicked off in Mt Maunganui on Tuesday. Photo / Andrew Warner

Organisers are now hoping to avoid consecutive cancellations, Bay Dreams chief executive Toby Burrows said everything is still all go.

“At the moment we’re just monitoring the weather,” he said.

“The main thing for us is to manage any strong winds, to make sure our staff and crew safely set up the festival.”

The venue has experienced good weather in the lead-up to the event’s launch, Burrows said staff are finishing the last bits of the build this afternoon.

On a phone call to Civil Defence, Burrows was reassured the wet weather hitting the Tasman would be centred more around the Golden Bay and Abel Tasman regions.

This would leave the Rutherford Park venue clear of any severe weather at this stage.

“It’s nothing we’re not used to running outdoor events, these things do happen and it’s something we can’t control,” said Burrows.

“These events have a massive economic impact on the people, we’re keen to deliver a full Bay Dreams experience. All the artists are excited, so fingers crossed.”

Bay Dreams Mt Maunganui has already kicked off, with a line-up including 10-time Grammy-nominated artist Diplo, Denzel Curry, Elderbrook and Freddie Gibbs.