Music festival adopts world-class visual technology

New Year’s music festival adopts world-class visual technology

More than 5000 partygoers will be treated to the ultimate experience of light, sound and optical illusion when state-of-the-art video mapping technology comes alive at the South Island’s biggest New Year’s party, Rhythm and Alps (R&A).

The two-day music festival, held at Robrosa Station in Wanaka’s iconic Cardrona Valley, is set to unveil three epic stages to ticket holders when the event kicks off on December 30. Designed by the R&A team in conjunction with Queenstown company TomTom Productions, the stages feature a technical mix of projection mapping, LED lighting and bespoke visuals, even further cementing R&A’s spot as one of the top music events on the international touring circuit.

“We really are pushing the boundaries with the designs of our stages and we’re providing another facet to the whole festival experience,” R&A festival director Alex Turnbull says.

“We’ve got the music covered with an awesome lineup, and our stage technology offers a new visual dimension – it’s a powerful combination for the senses. Everything really comes to life after dark when the lights, the LED and all the toys come out.”

The Alpine Arena main stage, which hosts headliners Shihad, Carl Cox, Sticky Fingers, and Chali 2na and the House of Vibe, is approximately 20 metres wide and 12 metres high. The platform will display a 2D monochrome visual during the day and come alive in a multitude of colours, designs and illusions after dark.

The Where The Wild Things are stage – a circular, sculpture-like structure measuring 20 metres in diameter – is loaded with high-impact lighting and special effects. DJs such as DJ Marky, Kamandi and Stickybuds will play here.

The Cabin stage - the scene for acts such as Sinclair, Mr Salmon and Bass Intrusion – is a log cabin from the original set of Jane Campion’s drama series Top of The Lake, which was filmed in Queenstown.

Limited tickets are still available for the festival at www.rhythmandalps.co.nz. Now in its fifth year running, Turnbull anticipates R&A 2015 to be the best yet, thanks to an unprecedented musical line up and incredible sound and visuals.

“Festivals all around the world are now pushing the boundaries. We like to make R&A interesting for our festival-goers and give them good bang for their buck,” Turnbull says. “It’s 2015 and technology can do some pretty cool things – we’re putting in a lot of good gear to make this the best R&A yet.”

ENDS

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