A number of young festivalgoers attending Soundsplash in Raglan have been stuck for hours in the hot sun with no water, waiting to be shuttled to the festival.
The festival required attendees to meet at the Raglan Airfield to get entry wristbands and have their bags checked before taking buses to the festival grounds.
A number of concerned parents contacted 1News after talking with their children at the festival who described long lines in the sun as the busses slowly arrived.
According to one parent, her daughter had been waiting for the bus since 8am, with no shade to cover those in line.
A father told 1News his son said buses leaving for the concert site come around every 15 to 20 minutes and can only carry so many people at a time.
He said his son left Auckland for the festival at 4am; after a quick bag check, he was left waiting at the airfield for eight hours.
"Just the organisation of it, it’s an absolute shambles," the father told 1News.
He said patrons were made to pour out their water bottles, meaning they were stuck without while they waited.
Video on social media also shows thousands of people waiting in long lines for their chance to get on the bus.
"This will be my first and last," a festivalgoer told his father.
"What concerns me the most is that some of these kids are only 16; being stuck out in the sun can’t be good for them," the parent said.
It’s not the first time Soundsplash has found itself in hot water.
In 2019, patrons had to undergo long waits in the rain due to traffic; in 2021, some teens threw up in the sun while pre-drinking as they waited.
In a statement, Soundsplash organisers apologised for the long wait, saying it was caused by “entry congestion”.
"We did have entry congestion in the mid-morning at a time when the crowd grew quickly, and it coincided with the drivers' mandatory breaks. Unfortunately, one of the busses broke down, and our transport provider wasn't able to replace it at short notice," a spokesperson said.
"I apologise to our attendees who experienced long waits for the shuttles. As with the delays caused by the search process on entry a couple of years ago, we are always looking at ways to improve the festival and will be revisiting the transport logistics for next year’s event. We will implement improvements to ensure a better experience for all our attendees."
When it came to the water situation, the spokesperson said: "Our search policy is that only bottles suspected of containing alcohol are emptied."
"We have large water tanks on site, and these are available for free refills once attendees have gone through security."
"Our event communications encourage all attendees to bring sun protection and appropriate clothing for an outdoor festival."
They also confirmed two festivalgoers experienced mild heatstroke and have since recovered to re-enter the event.
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