Earthquake concert goes online due to level 2 restrictions
A concert marking the 10th anniversary of the February 2011 earthquake went digital after the Government’s announced changes to the country’s Covid-19 alert levels.
The O¯ tautahi Christchurch event was among several to be cancelled, postponed or amended in the city after Auckland moved back to alert level 3 and the rest of the country moved to level 2 due to new community cases of Covid-19.
Also cancelled was yesterday’s Weet-Bix Kids TRYathlon, while next weekend’s Armageddon Expo and Selwyn Sounds music festival are being rescheduled.
The public were told to stay away from yesterday’s concert at
the Christchurch Botanic Gardens because it was being livestreamed on YouTube instead, but a small number still went and watched from outside the cordon.
Several hundred people watched the concert online. Performers included Bic Runga, Hayley Westenra, Holly Arrowsmith and band Surfing USSR.
The Christchurch Motorway Half Marathon and the Cycling New Zealand Mountain Bike Championships still went ahead under alert level 2 restrictions yesterday, but the Hagley Park Polo and Farewell to the Godwits events were cancelled.
‘‘I strongly advise people who were planning on attending events around the city . . . to check in with event organisers to see if it is still on,’’ Christchurch City Council
Covid-19 incident management team leader Mary Richardson said.
All of the council’s public facilities would remain open under level 2, but visitors would need to sign in, either manually or with the NZ Covid19 tracer app, and visitor numbers would be managed to ensure physical distancing, she said.
Organisers of the Weet-Bix Kids TRYathlon were disappointed, but they were happy to comply with the Government’s sudden level change announcement, which came into effect at
6am yesterday, spokeswoman Jane Grayson said.
Within 45 minutes of the announcement, a cancellation text was sent to 3200 young participants.
Just one family turned up for the event at Jellie Park yesterday morning. Grayson said the family had gone to bed early in preparation for the early start.
‘‘They have gone to another park, and they are doing a triathlon on their own.’’
Grayson said organisers had not yet made a decision about another TRYathlon planned for Dunedin this Sunday.
Participants would be emailed details about how to receive a refund, and there would be an option for a DIY TRYathlon they could do on their own.
The Court Theatre would stay open, as it already had plans to operate under alert level 2. The auditorium was divided into two zones catering to 100 people each, and each zone had its own entrance, exit, bar and toilets.
Meanwhile, organisers of Christchurch’s Armageddon Expo this coming weekend said the event would not be able to go ahead.
They hoped to reschedule it, but said it would not happen in March or April.
Refunds would be arranged for ticket holders, or they could be used for the rescheduled event.
The Selwyn Sounds music festival on Saturday, featuring Stan Walker and Hello Sailor, has been rescheduled to April 10. Organisers said all tickets for the Lincoln event would be valid for the new date.
Christchurch Holi-Festival of Colours, also due to be held on Saturday, would not go ahead at all this year.
Organisers said people would still be able to purchase colours from Maia Foods at 320 Cashel St, so they could celebrate with close friends and family instead.
‘‘Next year’s Holi will be bigger, brighter and more colourful,’’ they said.