Xtreme Makeover for Waterfront
28 September 2004
Xtreme Makeover for Waterfront
Promoters of Australasia’s largest extreme sports and music festival ‘Vodafone X*Air’ have confirmed that the event will have a new home in 2005.
The event which has been held in Hamilton for the last 6 years has just been confirmed to be held on the Wellington waterfront from January 21st – January 23rd next year.
Event director Mark Wright said ‘Wellington has been selected to host Vodafone X*Air because of its superb waterfront facilities, event culture and support from the Wellington City Council’.
Support from long standing sponsors Vodafone and the council will also mean that the event will be free to the public for the first time in 7 years.
‘We’re expecting up to 80,000 people on the waterfront over Wellington anniversary weekend and with over 70 international competitors the competition will be as good as anything you’ll see in the world.’
Confirmed athletes include skate number one Sandro Dias who recently became the only other person in history besides Tony Hawk to land the 900 (degrees). Also headlining are BMX legends Dave Mirra, Ryan Nyquist and Jay Miron who have 22 X-Games medals between them, local FMX star Nick Franklin and Inline greats Shane Yost, Cesar Mora and Fabiola da Silver.
The entire waterfront area from Queens Wharf to Te Papa and into Civic Square will be transformed into an extreme sports playground. Paraphernalia to achieve the makeover will include 200 truck loads of dirt, 6 shipping containers of skate ramps, masses of scaffolding and safety barriers and a massive Red Bull ½ pipe that is being shipping in from Austria exclusively for the event.
Sports and activities featured in the 2005 event will include skateboarding, stunt BMX, in-line skating, BMX dirt jumping, motorcycle trials, breakdancing, graffiti art, car displays, beer gardens, ski and snowboard jumping, continuous live music and the ever impressive freestyle moto-x. Event promoters are promising the biggest and most comprehensive display of extreme sports ever seen in New Zealand.
ENDS