Final touches to Gathering set
Click image for larger version
More than 10,000 tickets have sold for the Gathering dance party starting on New Year's Eve - 2000 more than last year but below the maximum 15,000 tickets available.
Gathering organisers are unconcerned about the shortfall and expect a late rush for the $160 tickets next week.
Gathering spokesman and art director Gene Kennedy said most of the tickets to the four-day Upper Takaka event had sold within New Zealand, although a few thousand had sold overseas via the Internet.
The Gathering, commonly referred to as G1, runs from December 31 to January 3. Gates open at midday on December 30 to give people a chance to set up camp and to avoid a repeat of last year's traffic jams.
The Gathering site on a Cobb Valley Rd farm has begun its transformation into a futuristic dance scene.
Many of the 150 DJs performing had arrived and most of the Gathering's six dance zones had been constructed as the final artworks and equipment arrive from Nelson this weekend.
Gathering chief executive Murray Kingi said 12 truckloads of artwork, costing $100,000, had been shifted to the site.
He said the Gathering's 30 artists, mostly from Nelson, had been creating pieces for the last two months.
They were among the 1500 people helping to set up the event.
Mr Kennedy said the six dance zones, which would play hardcore, trance, drum and bass, house, ambient and classical-jazz music, were designed differently but had a common theme of "new civilisations".
[Illustration]
Caption: Photo MARTIN DE RUYTER Gathering chief executive Murray Kingi fields inquiries while checking part of the set for this year's Gathering event at Upper Takaka.