While a heavy storm front has wreaked havoc on numerous summer events across the North Island, one festival on the Coromandel Peninsula has made the call to still go ahead.
The Coro Classic festival will welcome roughly 3000 people to Matarangi in the Coromandel on Saturday.
Artists set to perform include Dope Lemon, Elderbrook, Finnish DJ Darude and Kiwi soul, R&B and pop band Leisure.
It’s a decision made by organisers despite the district remaining under a heavy rain warning along with the Bay of Plenty and Tasman.
Most major roads around the Coromandel Peninsula reopened today as the region entered its third day of a subtropical storm, but concerns of fresh flood threats later that morning.
The region was even hit with a landslide on Thames Coast Rd, among others.
However, it’s a show-must-go-on attitude from Coro Classic director James Bristo who said staff have been preparing for over a year to “prepare for the absolute worst”.
“As it turned out, it’s ended up happening,” he told the Herald.
“Customer safety is paramount, but we ended up speaking with Civil Defence and they said there are no severe weather patterns coming, so the authorities have given the all clear.”
A jovial statement was published on Coro Classic social media, encouraging attendees that local traffic management, roadworks and Thames police had given the green light to continue.
“Roads are open, the site is prepared and we are ready to party,” the statement read.
The decision, while optimistic on the organiser’s behalf, hasn’t gone down well with some ticket holders.
Festival social media posts on Facebook and Instagram show people offering their tickets for sale in the comments sections.
One commenter believed other festivals had done the right thing and postponed due to safety concerns.
Another said, “Offer refunds to people that can no longer go due to their accommodation falling through. Otherwise you’re taking money from people that can no longer attend.”
Yet another labelled the decision a “health and safety issue”, also calling the decision unfair as attendees could no longer access accommodation due to the weather.
When the Herald spoke to one artist performing at the event, he believed making the decision to perform after a storm was “irresponsible”.
The local said he was used to the storms in the area - but was sceptical others would have the same appreciation for the experience.
“I just think, they expect how many thousands to travel to the Coromandel in the middle of a warning, Civil Defence telling people don’t travel to Coromandel and they’re telling people to do just that, I don’t think it’s the right call,” he said.
“The only logical thing they should do at this point is cancel or postpone.”
Bristo, when made aware of the concerns, was confident the decision to continue was still the right one.
“We’ve been as clear with [communication] around our decision-making as possible.
“We are just dealing with lots of customer service at the moment and looking to refund those seriously affected.”
When asked about who would fall into the “seriously affected” category, Bristo didn’t wish to elaborate.
However, he did reassure attendees the venue’s manager was experienced, working with a site that could hold a “significant amount of rainfall”.
“There’s metal tracks, or gravel down so nobody will be driving over grass. And there’s tractors on hand in case anything happened.”
Bristo does expect no-shows due to the weather but thinks numbers will still be in the thousands come Saturday.