Rhythm and Vines adds final acts
Rhythm and Vines Festival has revealed its final two acts for this year’s 20th anniversary of the New Year’s Eve celebration in Gisborne.
UK grime rapper Dizzee Rascal will headline for the first time, smashing out Bonkers and other hits to the crowd at Waiohika Estate on New Year’s Eve.
Earlier in the day, Sir Dave Dobbyn will return to the popular three-day festival, for a sundown slot on December 31.
For the first time since 2019 the bill features international acts including DJ duo Chase and Status, Australian electronic dance musician Alison Wonderland and British producer Dimension – NZ’s first Omicron case who had to pull out of Rhythm and Alps in 2021 due to ‘‘ongoing Covid concerns’’.
Rhythm and Vines Festival welcomes around 30,000 music lovers into Gisborne every year, injecting $6 million into the local economy.
In 2021 the festival was set for its typical end of year run before being rescheduled to Easter 2022, following calls from Gisborne locals and iwi to cancel the event due to Covid-19 concerns.
The Easter dates were then cancelled due to the Omicron surge.
This will be Rhythm and Vines’ first appearance in Gisborne in 22 months. A handful of tickets are left from rhythmandvines.co.nz/tickets.