Farm ready to host Rhythm & Alps
CARDRONA Valley’s Rhythm & Alps has become a staple in the summer calendar for thousands around the country. The event is one of the biggest international music festivals in the South Island.
For the past two months event managers Fiona McMartin and Ralphie KirbyCrowe have been busy with their familiar site crew turning the operational farm of Robrosa Station into the site set to host 10,000 revellers this weekend.
It is hardly glamorous stuff. Much of the work is filling rabbit holes, putting up fencing and organising the distribution of portaloos, but the end goal is what is most important— making sure people have a damn good time.
‘‘Some of the things we do to improve people’s experience they shouldn’t notice. That will mean we’ve done a good job,’’ Ms KirbyCrowe said.
The duo are running their fourth Rhythm & Alps festival, and they said consistency was the key to success.
‘‘I think because we have a really stable, wellseasoned crew makes it easier to roll everything out than it would be if we were transient staff,’’ Ms KirbyCrowe said.
‘‘Having that consistency allows us to improve year on year rather than having to start from scratch each year, which I think is a real strength of the festival.’’
The festival is expected to sell out — 10,000 ticket holders are due to arrive over the course of the three days However, there are no plans for it to expand in the future.
‘‘Ten thousand people is optimum for the services and general vibe,’’ Ms McMartin said.
‘‘We’re never going to blow up numbers. We want to keep it personalised and make people feel like they had a damn good time and was worth every penny.’’
Rhythm & Alps begins today and will run until January 1.