JUDGEMENT: Rain and queues awaited the 10,000 gamblers who traveled to the fair this year Heapa muddy mess where the cheerfulness remained largely intact.
Those brave enough to battle the elements on Friday enjoyed energetic performances from Brett McKenzie, Future Islands and more on the main stage, while the DJ-centric Crystal Palace stage became a place for dancing as a means of to escape the weather
English spoken word poet and musician Kay Tempest was easily the festival’s standout act, her prose transporting audiences into a shared spiritual experience where raw emotions were laid bare – anyone who hoped “discover something beautiful” would undoubtedly have found it.
Sunday offered a kind of break from the mud madness, with a Māori singer Troy King courting festival-goers with its signature magic, as many danced through the dirt and others swam off the remnants of the past 48 hours.
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Outside of the live music, Splore offers a wealth of other delights: the food options were top-notch and drew from a mix of cultures, from Chinese crêpes to Jamaican pasties, while cabaret shows provided solid entertainment between acts.
The wellness events were a personal highlight — while my friends disappeared into a hot tent to attend a two-hour lecture on “emotional intelligence,” I found respite from my muddy funk with an afro dance class (complete with a incredible live band) led by Camila Chicon, kicking up mud with my feet and inviting spirits into my body.
Glenn McLelland/included
Punters dress up for Splore 2023.
“We’re going to get muddy, there’s nothing you can do to avoid it,” Chicon tells her mesmerized crowd of dancers. It was the Splore 2023 experience summed up in one sentence.
Everywhere you walk, you have the chance to witness illegal drug use.
Glenn McLelland/included
At the Wendy’s Wellness Tent in Splore.
On the other side of the drug use that seemingly takes place in every corner of Splore, media commentator Russell Brown hosted a brilliant listening lounge session on New Zealand’s “new frontiers and next steps” of drugs with spokespersons from Know Your Stuff, The Drug Foundation and Mana Health.
Maybe other festivals had one Woodstock-like situationbut it seemed clear from the start that the crowds drawn to Splore were more in tune with the “good vibes” mentality than chaos.
Of course, no music festival is without its flaws – the massive amount of mud that was unavoidable on the site left some feeling miserable and trapped, and some even had their tents flooded with water from Friday night’s downpour.
Glenn McLelland/Delivered
Despite the weather, most festival goers seemed to be enjoying themselves.
Shoes, unless you were smart enough to bring rubber boots, quickly became an unnecessary accessory, with many festival-goers dipping their toes into the mud and letting the soles of their feet harden over rocky paths.
The constant movement of bodies meant that the terrain never stood still enough to dry out, and the site’s infamous Goat Track became a paranoia-inducing trail of mud and water while the marketplace remained a sticky swamp.
While Splore is celebrated for being family-friendly, one particularly creepy moment between two toddlers and a stranger in a gimp suit turned my stomach, and it’s been hard to get out of my head ever since.
Glenn McLelland/Stuff
The festival’s infamous Goat Track became a muddy mess.
This could well be the future of Auckland’s summer festival schedule – unpredictable weather may have temporarily dampened the mood, but the grinning Kiwi mentality was on full display without much chaos taking place.
Another trip to Splore? Sure – having seen the festival at its best and worst, the festival and all its offerings is an experience worth braving the mud for.
I’ll definitely remember to bring my wellies next time, just in case.