Float away with ZM
PUMP UP your floaties and dig out your water wings because New Zealand’s one-of-a-kind music festival ZM Float is returning to the water this summer.
The festival, which will once again sail out on to the calm, blue waters of Rotorua’s sparkling Lake Tikitapu, has announced a line-up that’s sure to float your boat. Or, as the case here may be, novelty inflatable . . .
Mitch James, Drax Project, Sachi, Jupiter Project and Balu Brigada will all hit the floating stage to perform to thousands of people chilling on the shore and bobbing gently in the water. Stan Walker will also make an appearance as a special guest star.
The all-ages, alcohol and smoke-free event has proven hugely popular, quickly outgrowing its first berth at Lake Taupo and necessitating the move to Rotorua’s Lake Tikitapu. This year’s event pulled in 6000 punters with people turning up in bikinis and boardies to spend the day floating on the water soaking in the vibes.
It’s New Zealand’s only floating music festival, but how did it all start?
“It was an idea that Fletch from the ZM Breakfast show put together some years ago,” says ZM’s content director Ross Flahive. “But we never quite got it off the ground.”
Convinced they had blue gold they kept trying to make the idea work, but it wasn’t until a lastminute brainwave that saw ZM partner up with the New Zealand Bomb Competition at Lake Taupo that Fletch’s crazy idea was realised.
The morning of the event they hoped a few hundred people might turn up.
“Four thousand people turned up that day,” Flahive says, almost in disbelief, before recounting how the event reached capacity in under an hour and detailing how he saw people trying to sneak in by swimming across from neighbouring bays. The popularity took the ZM team by surprise but they realised if it was to reach its full potential they were going to need a bigger boat.
“It grew organically, but it grew really, really quick,” he says. “From the first year, literally our stage was the back of a truck, to last year having a proper stage, to this year having an even bigger stage, with more activations and a much bigger food space. Each year we feel we can do it just that little bit bigger and professionally. Because, ultimately, we’re a bunch of radio people just winging it.” So what’s the appeal? “We’re right smack-bang in the middle of all the summer festivals but we have the added bonus that you’re not just turning up to watch the concert, you’re turning up to float away with a thousand other people out on their floaties. People are excited about the event regardless of whether the line-up’s good. It’s something different to do during the summer.”
It’s basically a day at the beach improved.
“Yeah, that’s right” Flahive agrees. “It’s a really friendly vibe event, the music part’s really cool, you can bring floaties and swim or you can sit on the bank and chill out.”
The announcement of ZM Float comes hot on the heels of ZM’s Friday Jams concert, which saw 25,000 music lovers crowd Western Springs last Sunday for performances from Eve, Estelle, Naughty By Nature as well as hiphop icons Salt-N-Pepa and Usher among others.
“Music is the biggest core of our radio station, we’re playing music 24 hours a day, to be attached to music is really important to us. If we can be attached to music via our own festivals than even better. It’s a really positive thing.”
These both happen over summer, so any plans for a midwinter Christmas party?
“Let’s see how many more grey hairs I have after this one,” he laughs. “But that would be nice.”
ZM Float takes place on Saturday, February 16, at Rotorua’s Lake Tikitapu. Tickets are $65 from grabone.co.nz, keep it locked to ZM for more details.