Drinking, fighting teens leave a sour note amid all that jazz

Organisers of the Mission Bay Jazz and Blues festival are disappointed by the actions of a number of teenage troublemakers who marred an otherwise successful festival on Saturday.

More than 50,000 people are estimated to have attended the Montana Mission Bay Jazz and Blues Streetfest, most of them in the target age group of 25 years or older.

But the free event also drew a large group of young teenagers and before the night was out many of them were in a fighting mood.

One jazz fan said he was sitting near the fountain on the grass when he noticed large numbers of teenagers arriving.

Some were as young as 12 and 13. They were texting each other on cellphones, some were drinking and there was tension in the air.

By 11pm, a number of adult festival-goers, concerned by the teenagers' growing presence, left to avoid trouble, the man said.

Fighting broke out among the teens after one young man threw himself into the crowd.

One fight led to another and before long dozens of teenagers were involved.

"They were all in on it, girls and boys."

Red Badge security operations manager Dan Scott said there were some problems with young people pushing and shoving one another.

"It really wasn't as bad as people think it was. It was just small pockets of teenagers."

A similar problem happened last year. This year organisers tried to minimise the risks by arranging more floodlighting and putting jazz bands in spots where troublemakers were known to hang out.

Mr Scott said about 40 security guards and up to 30 police were at the event.

The guards had been positioned in areas where problems were expected and young people were asked to move on if they were seen to be causing trouble.

Mr Scott said the fighting was broken up quickly and he was not aware of anyone being taken away or arrested by police.

"They were all just kids," he said. "It was playground stuff."

Event organiser Anna Ferguson said she was disappointed by the youths' actions as they marred an otherwise wonderful night.

"The weather was just perfect, people were walking around and in a happy mood."

* Police have yet to determine what caused a brawl involving up to 30 people outside an Auckland bar early yesterday. One man suffered a broken jaw and head injuries in a fight outside the Billfish Bar in Parnell Rise. Auckland Central police would like to speak to witnesses.