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A team from Glastonbury - the world's largest music festival - is helping organisers of New Zealand's biggest New Year's Eve party to cope with record crowds this year.
More than 20,000 people are expected at Gisborne's Rhythm and Vines festival, which begins today and culminates in an
all-night concert and party on Wednesday, December 31.
This year, for the first time, organisers have enlisted the help of an overseas management team to cope with the festival's growing size.
"They've run Glastonbury for the last eight or nine years," said Toby Burrows, one of the directors of Rhythm and Vines. "They've helped with the development."
He said the team from the British festival, which began in the 1970s and attracts crowds of up to 180,000, was experienced at coping with huge numbers of revellers.
More than 120 acts from around the world will play at Rhythm and Vines. They will include British band the Kooks, Public Enemy from the United States and local talents Shihad and the Black Seeds.
Rhythm and Vines' renown has grown internationally since Britain's Guardian newspaper voted the festival the second-best place - after Paris - to spend New Year's Eve.
As well as attracting crowds from around the country, Mr Burrows said there had been ticket sales to "pretty much every continent", including Russia and South America.
Last year, 15,000 people attended the festival at Waiohika Estate vineyard, 9000 of them camping at a facility set up to help accommodate the influx into Gisborne.
By yesterday, 13,000 people, most between 18 and 20, had descended on the BW Campgrounds (formerly the Baywatch Campgrounds), and the mood was said to be festive.
"It's a really good, happy crowd," said Mr Burrows, who is also one of the campground directors.
The temperature soared to 25C, and festival-goers took to the beach in droves, enjoying organised activities, including a surfing competition.
Police said the number of people flooding into the area was stretching resources, but Rhythm and Vines had previously been trouble-free.
Police reinforcements from Hastings and Wellington had arrived, and more than 45 staff were rostered to work on New Year's Eve.
Senior Sergeant Rodger Gray and Mr Burrows said rumours of a woman dying of a drug overdose at the BW Campgrounds on Saturday night were false, and a festival-goer yesterday told the Herald the mood was "tame".
"There's been no fights," she said. "There's been a few cops around. It's pretty packed and more people are coming all the time."
St John Ambulance has a team working at the festival each night, and first aid is available during the day.
Mr Burrows said there were also "chill-out areas" for revellers, and emergency medical help could be sought if necessary.
Some tickets are still available through www.rhythmandvines.co.nz, and there will be a limited number of gate sales.
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