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BW Campgrounds

Tuesday 16 December 2008, 4:36PM

By Rhythm and Vines

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GISBORNE

A week long camping festival on one of the best beaches in the world!
BW Campgrounds, Gisborne

Each year, just a couple of days after Christmas, one of the biggest camping festivals in New Zealand kicks off with thousands of campers, an array of parties, beachfront competitions and general chaotic fun. One of the major draw cards for campers is the world class beach location! BW Campgrounds is set on the golden sands of Midway Beach in the heart of Gisborne, and welcomes 13,000 people to its five separate camping zones - Watson, Awapuni, Skools, Bandcamp and Churchill. Many of the campers at BW Campgrounds venture to Rhythm and Vines, New Zealand’s biggest 3 day new year’s event happening at the local Waiohika Estate.

But it's not just the amazing venue that campers turn out for! The entertainment line up at the weeklong festival stands up as one of the biggest camping festival line ups in the country. The fun starts on the 27th of December at the private BW Campgrounds "Jim Beam Sound Shell" venue, a huge natural amphitheatre that runs adjacent to the beach, with an opening party including Kiwi A-list entertainment from Kora, Concord Dawn, Solaa, Skankamelia and Brazil Beat Sound System. Then through the week the Sound Shell parties continue with entertainment from international performers DJ Rectangle who's worked with the likes of Eminem, R Kelly, Jermaine Dupri and Xzibit. Plus DJ's Stafford Bros from the Ministry of Sound in Australia, along with crowd favourites Kid Kenobi and MC Shureshock from Australia. And the list of New Zealand talent goes on with Fast Crew, Opensouls, Kolab, State of Mind, DJ Exile, Beat Mafia, Misfits of Science, Dan Aux and 38:40 DJ Collective.

BW Organiser and promoter Toby Burrows talks about the camping festival.

"For 5 years campers from around the country and the world have been journeying here to BW Campgrounds to take part in New Zealand's biggest annual camping festival. We're lucky to be located right next to the beach with parties and competitions happening on the beach every day. With so much action going on in such a great location it's no wonder that BW Campgrounds is a sell out every year," he says.

It takes more than 200 staff to run the campsite and event, all of who work tirelessly through the week to keep the 24 hour project running. Staff include management, bar staff, security, cleaners, campsite hosts and admin staff. While a core crew of 10 staff work right through the year setting up the big event, planning the venue with council and working on the marketing and talent bookings.

During the big week celebrity presenters Brooke Howard Smith and Jo Holley MC the special events, which include a Tow-at Surfing Competition, Wakeboard Jam, Kick Push East Coast Skate Comp, BW Bikini Jam, BW Speedo Jam and a specially installed Jim Beam beach stage.

Facilities onsite at BW campgrounds include showering areas with 245 toilets and 137 showers! Plus this year sees the introduction of “Girls Only” VIP toilet and shower areas, powder rooms and onsite spray tanning facilities.

Who is DJ Rectangle?
Hip Hop DJ maestro DJ Rectangle and international BW Campground headliner will perform on the 28th December in the Jim Beam Sound Shell. DJ Rectangle has long held an enviable position as top dog in the world of DJ's. His fame stretches from the USA to China, from Australia to the United Kingdom, from Japan to Europe and covers most points in between! DJ Rectangle began his colorful career as a battle DJ winning the U.S. DMC championship in 1993. Since the mid-'90s, Rectangle has produced a seemingly endless series of schizophrenic battle records and party-friendly mix-tapes. An established platinum producer, he has worked with all the biggest West Coast artists helming tracks for major-label acts like Eminem and Xzibit. Because of this he is privy to some of the hottest and most exclusive trax in the game. Warren G has employed Rectangle as his live DJ since 1993 and he has toured the world numerous times with the likes of R Kelly and Jermaine Dupri. His most recent triumph was a Grammy nomination for his production work on Latin sensation Mala Rodriguez's "Malamarismo" album.

 

The annual “Summer Sessions” Rhythm and Vines club nights are back!

Don’t miss this! The tradition of spreading the R&V feeling to Gisborne town venues in the weeks preceding and following the festival carries on with two very special events. Saturday, 20 December at the Poverty Bay Club, affectionately dubbed “Locals Only!” will feature a stellar Gizzy lineup: Blackbird, Skankamelia, BrazilBeat Sound System, and 38:40 DJ collective.

“We are pleased to support the vibrant Gisborne music scene,” said R&V Programme Director Hamish Pinkham. “We book local acts into the festival lineup every year and there’s a great diversity of bands and DJs on the East Coast.” R&V’s local lineup this year includes punk-pop trio The Nervous Surgeons, hip-hop reggae styles from The Suns of Io, and minimal/techno aficionado DJ Hat.

Pinkham's band Blackbird is first up in the Poverty Bay Club's legendary Dome Room on Dec 20th. Traditionally a summer project, recent gigs in Auckland have the folk-rock band in top form and hungry for their year-end performances. Laid-back guitar and vocal harmonies anchor their spellbinding live shows, and this performance with Pinkham, vocalist Helen Corry, Jack Castle on keys, and percussionist Nego Beto promises to be a memorable one. With songwriting as one of Blackbird's recognised strengths, they continue in their sunny, unhurried fashion, to compile their substantial repertoire toward an upcoming release.

Quintessential Gizzy band, Skankamelia bring their heavy, surfed-up sound to Summer Sessions for the first time. Lead singer Dion “D” Whaanga affirms there has been a great response over the past year for their self-titled EP. Unquestionably a rising New Zealand band to watch, Skankamelia always keep it real onstage with their inventive punk-reggae-dub fusion.

BrazilBeat Sound System wraps the night in the Dome Room with a mashup of down & dirty styles from roots samba to electro, breaks and drum’n bass, fraught with live percussion. Transplants from Brazil (percussionist/MC Nego Beto) and California (DJ Mara), BBSS proudly call Gisborne home, and affirm that once the summer madness is over, they will be hitting the studio hard, to record their second album.

38:40 Collective loosely describes a posse of DJs and promoters hailing from Aotearoa’s most eastern tip. 38:40 DJs Tim Livingston and Toby Burrows will be spinning deep and funky house all night in the bar at Poverty Bay Club on the 20th of December.

Then following Rhythm and Vines on Saturday, 3 January at Soho the second Summer Sessions event will feature Dick “Magik” Johnson, DJ Hat and +1.

 

The three day line up

 

29 December

Franz Ferdinand (UK), The Kooks(UK), Santogold (USA), Jamie Liddell (UK), Liam Finn, Ajax(AUS), The Mystery Jets(UK), Cut off Your Hands, Katchafire, South Rakkas Crew (USA), Aquasky (UK), Jonny Love, The Ruby Suns, Collapsing Cities, Anna Coddington, Olmecha Supreme, House of Shem, The Enright House, Lydia Cole, Tim Richards, Wellie Players Club, The Constituents, Brazil Beat Soundsystem, Jade, Ben Throp, RIA, Dean Campbell, Tim Livingston, Elm, Ollus, Acoustic Assassin, Toby Burrows, The Missing Link, Cam Robertson, Daniel Farley, Sean Murray, Lewis Mearns, plus more on the day…

 

30 December
Public Enemy (live)/ USA), DJ Nu Mark (Jurassic 5 / USA) / Cut Copy (AUS), Ladyhawke, The Phoenix Foundation, , Anika Moa, Ladi 6 (MC & DJ Set) Late of the Pier(UK), Recloose LIVE, Busy P & DJ Medhi (FRA), Fort Knox Five(USA) DJ Switch (UK), SJD, Antiform LIVE & MC Twin Cam, Die Die Die, Little Bushman, Electric Wire Hustle, An Emerald City, Conan Moccasin, DJ Audit (CAN), Cool Kids Club, The Naked and Famous, Olmecha Supreme, , The Coshercot Honeys, Public Access (Tom Sahs USA) Blackbird, The Secret Knives, Unity Pacific. Reclose DJ set, DJ Lotion, Dylan C, Matt Randomplay, Soane, Trash Disco, Alex Bull, +1, Jonus, Gavin S, Anna Macdonald, Richard Alexander and loads more again on the day…

31 December
Shihad, Carl Cox (UK), Digitalism LIVE (GER), Fur Patrol, The Black Seeds, The Datsuns, Adam Freeland(UK), A-Trak (CAN), Antix(LIVE) Dick "Magik" Johnson, The Tutts, Vinyl Slingers (AUS), P Money, So So Modern, Emerson Todd(AUS), The Tutts, Disco Not Disco(AUS), Module LIVE, BLVD Nights, Honey Claws (USA), Sampology feat Tom Thum (AUS), Motocade, Disasteradio Bang! Bang! Eche, 38:40 DJ's Clap Clap Riot, DJ Hat, Ben Davis (The Bionics UK) P Vans & Steppa D, Over the Atlantic, DJ Substance feat MC homebrew, Beat Company, Exile & JFG, Beat Mafia, Bulletproof, DJ Trei, Nervous Surgeons etc…

 

 

BW Campgrounds

 

Our official accommodation partner is the ever growing BW Campgrounds. Due to very popular demand BW is filling fast and has opened up 2 new camps to cater for the demand. “Band Camp” and “Skools” will offer a more secluded spot for campers

 

The entertainment at BW Campgrounds is set to go off! The list includes:

 

Kora, Kid Kenobi & MC Shureshock (AUS), State of Mind, Concord Dawn, Opensouls, Stafford Bros (AUS), Fast Crew, Solaa, Kolab, Misfits of Science, Dan Aux (AUS), Ben Wah, Thomas Sahs (USA), 38:40 DJ Collective, Skankamelia, DJ Exile, Beat Mafia - plus more to come!

Tickets available now for all these shows even if you are not camping at BW. See there website for details and tickets!!!

And don’t forget about the Bikini Jam, R&V pre and after parties, beach parties, tow-at surfing comp, skate comp, beach soccer comp amongst a host of other summer time activities. For more details and to reserve your crew a spot visit www.bwcampgrounds.co.nz

 

Simply not interested in regular camping? Fancy a roof over your head or even after a bit of luxury? Tell us about it and we may be able to help!

 

We’ve had a few people asking us about other accommodation options so we’ve started putting our feelers out and it looks like we may be able to add some new options; We would like to include Campervans and caravans onsite with facilities; VIP camping on site and private house share, we just need to understand a bit more about the demand so we can work out what we need to provide you with.

If any of these options could be what you’re after and your bursting to find a solution, whether that be have it all laid out for you for when you arrive, or a cool spot to park your campervan Check out the following link to register your interest:

http://www.etickets.to/buy/?e=1796

Rhythm & Vines Ticketing

www.rhythmandvines.co.nz

 

 

 

Festival Package (Pass to all days 29th, 30th and 31st Dec)

 

“Pruning” $145 + b/ fee* SOLD OUT

“Budburst” $185 + b/fee* SOLD OUT

“Harvest” $210 + b/fee* ON SALE NOW

 

Day visit only Tickets

 

29th Dec (DAY ONLY) $65 + booking fee*

30th Dec (DAY ONLY) $65 + booking fee*

31st Dec (NYE ONLY) $135 + booking fee*

 

* VIP (Special Reserve)

Details will be released soon – We recommend that you grab a discounted package while they last. You will be given an opportunity to upgrade to VIP later.

 

*Booking Fee. We now use eTickets! No more paper tickets or courier fees. eTickets also means a reduced booking fee of only $4.50 per ticket.

 

Earlybird Bus Special - Book the bus now for only $18. This includes return trips from BW campgrounds to the R&V festival site for all 3 days. To reserve your spot, select Early bird Bus when you buy your tickets.

 

If you have any ticketing questions please email us at tickets@rhythmandvines.co.nz