Ultimate 2010 summer romp is only three weeks away

The ultimate 2010 summer romp is only three weeks away!
19 - 21 February 2010

It sounds utopian, a place where music, art and nature merge to inspire a weekend of joyous celebration. Splore isn’t as much a festival as a life experience that continues to bring people together from all over the world to frolic in the summer splendour at the Tapapakanga Regional Park, a slice of coastal paradise on the Hauraki Gulf, just 70km south east of Auckland.

Entertainment is divided through multiple zones and genres creating the multi-faceted Splore experience which combines an eclectic music lineup, live dramatic and cabaret performances in the Living Lounge, community interaction through workshops, a festive ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream 2050’ themed party and a visual arts exhibition within the Splore Art Trail.

Taking to Splore’s music stages this year are headline acts Lupe Fiasco (USA) and Basement Jaxx (UK) who have now officially upgraded from a DJ set to a Soundsystem bringing with them a host of their best MCs: Ms Sharlene Hector, Mr Mark James and Ms Nonkulelekho Malinga. Lupe Fiasco and Basement Jaxx are backed up by an array of both international and local talent including Jamie Lidell (UK), Nickodemus (USA), Mystro (UK), d Bridge & Instra:mental present Club Automatic (UK), The Gaslamp Killer (USA), Spektrum (UK), 10 Sui (UK), Dub FX (AUS), Spikey Tee (UK/AUS), Mikki Dee (IRE), Sola Rosa, Tahuna Breaks, Minuit, Electric Wire Hustle, Pitch Black, King Kapisi, Nathan Haines, Clap Clap Riot, Zoh Zoh, Olmecha Supreme, Nick D, Philippa, Dubhead, Murray Cammick, Bobbito Brazuka and Jennifer Zea, Six 60, Easy, The Nukes, Doc Westie, Kidz in Space and North Shore Pony Club.

The Living Lounge is an imaginative space that hosts a variety of activity including spoken word, comedy, theatre, music, circus, dance, film and workshops. Featuring a myriad of performances from breath-taking acrobatics at dizzying heights by daredevils Fuse Circus to the flashy and exquisite Birds of Paradise cabaret and more. Within the Living Lounge programme will be a sweeping Saturday night flamboyant party themed ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream 2050’, beginning with a lantern-lit procession through the festival and inviting all festival goers to theme themselves and transform their persona. Stepping into this alternate reality means casting aside all notions of normality and succumbing to the extraordinary world that is the Living Lounge.

Adding to the appealing aesthetic design of the festival, the Splore art trail will weave throughout the location presenting works from a diverse cross section of contemporary New Zealand architects, film-makers, painters, writers, video artists, sculptors, photographers, spatial designers and performance artists in a sublime natural and living environment. Splore 2010 will expose 21 art projects including artists Martin Horspool and his Retrobots, Niki Hastings-McFall, Cleve Cameron and the return of festival-goer favourites Cut Collective.

Splore is family friendly, catering to their shared needs with fast-lane entry at the gates to the family only camping area and the Rumpus Room, an integrated creative kids/teen zone that includes circus tricks, hula lessons and stories by Dick Weir. Transforming into the GloZone at night, this space will provide a place for teens to hang out, listen to music and experiment with fluro art.

Over the lifespan of Splore, husbands and wives have been found, lovers have proposed to their darlings, babies have been conceived and there's been lots of loving on the festival menu. For the first time Splore will provide a wedding chapel and qualified celebrant for those that would genuinely like to get married and have a big ole party to celebrate. Bookings are essential.

At the core of the festival’s ethos is sustainability, driven by founder and director Amanda Wright’s vision and passion for the planet. She says it’s a challenge the festival is definitely up for. “An event of this nature has the potential to leave a nasty carbon footprint from transport, energy and waste,” she says. “We have worked hard to establish sustainable processes, from our office practices to the festival site, to the sponsors and suppliers we align with.”

What are you waiting for? Tickets are only $185 for the full weekend including free camping and are available from iTICKET (http://www.iticket.co.nz). In the wake of the tragic Haiti Earthquake disaster Splore will be donating $1 from every ticket sold since the disaster to Oxfam to help with relief. Oxfam specialise in providing drinking water, sanitation and helping rebuild homes and lives.

Don’t miss out on Splore 2010, a three-day weekend that will delight, surprise, inspire and stimulate the senses.

For regular updates and more information visit http://www.splore.net.

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