29 January 2013 - 0 Comments

On Saturday February 9th The Wakatipu Basin will once again resonate with the superlative sounds of top-shelf Aotearoan music for the 2nd biennial Shotover Sunshine Festival (SSF).

Event organisers are hard at work engineering a vibe like no other, bringing together an awe-inspiring line up to a majestic location that aims to blow the senses and shower sunshine on the people of the Southern lands.

"The festival is a celebration of the many things for which we are thankful. Awesome NZ music, culture & landscape, Waitangi unity, and the birth of Bob Marley"
- Simon Hendi aka Downtown Brown

Located in the bosom of Godzone itself, the festival will take place on beautiful grasslands next to the famous Shotover River, only 10 minutes from central Queenstown.

Shotover Sunshine Festival prevails in its ability to organically draw together New Zealand’s finest musical whanau delivering nothing less than a live music spectacular.

The heavyweight lineup includes; Kora, The Black Seeds, Tiki Taane (acoustic), Ladi6, The Upbeats, Sola Rosa, AHoriBuzz, The Peacekeepers (Feat. P-Digsss, Bora & Nicky Research), Sunshine Sound System, MC Tali, Funkommunity, Rhythmonyx, Soulsystem, K+Lab and more, hosted & toasted by MC KPz.

“I can’t wait to come down and party with all you beautiful people! The most amazing setting, the most wicked music, awesome family and friend vibes, this is the bestival of the year, my favourite, favourite festival. Believe!”
– Tiki Taane.

Superior production is a priority at SSF, and this year the team are pleased to announce they have once again secured the effortless power and unsurpassed clarity of Western Audio's ‘D&B’ sound system, courtesy of Underground Production.

The new 1 am finish time has given the opportunity to design and build an extended lighting and video installation, making optimal use of the extra hour of darkness.

The 2013 festival is offering VIP tickets for those seeking an even more salubrious level of hospitality. At only $250 this special pass allows ticket holders to be pampered with priority parking, a well-positioned private marquee with excellent views of the main stage, pimped out by Orange Group. It will boast first-class bar and bathroom facilities, complimentary canapés plus indoor and outdoor lounge seating. Guests wanting that extra element of style and convenience can fly into the festival with Helitours (0800Helitours) for only $105pp.

In another first for Queenstown, festivalgoers will use a Dash Ticket RFID wristband system to pay for goods and services. Food, beverage and merchandise can all be purchased simply by swiping the wristband at the point of sale without needing to carry cash, or a wallet. Ticket holders can visit Dash Tickets online to register their wristband account to be one step ahead on arrival.

The wristband is also the festival pass, and will be issued upon entry. Wristbands can be loaded with money wirelessly from any web device (eg a smartphone) before or during the event, or from recharging stations onsite.  Unused credit is of course refundable.

Organisers have worked hard to vastly improve homeward travel post event for 2013. This year the bus fleet will be increased to more than 1000 seats per cycle, and loading areas will be larger and well marshalled. Discounted bus tickets are now available online for $10 return to Queenstown, with presale bus ticket holders enjoying priority queues.  A Wanaka bus service is also operating. Tickets can also be purchased online for $30 return. For more details on buses visit www.shotoversunshinefestival.co.nz/busesandparking

SSF is a fully licensed event with quality bar service and an excellent drink selection, as well as plenty of delicious food options to keep festivalgoers well nourished. Free water is available on site. BYO liquid is limited to one unopened water bottle per person, however Samoa spring water can be purchased for $2.50/600mL, and bottles can be refilled for free from the water tanker.

The event is R18, but minors are welcome to attend if accompanied by a parent or guardian. One guardian for every under 18, and children under 10 are free.

There will be an alcohol and smokefree area available for families, kids and overgrown kids, complete with change rooms and a bouncy castle!

Earlybird and first release tickets have sold out, but final release tickets are onsale from http://www.shotoversunshinefestival.co.nz/

Sharply priced ticket & accommodation combos available through Shotover Lodge have almost sold out, and a new accommodation partner will be announced this week. http://www.shotoverlodge.co.nz/

For more information on buses, maps, VIP tickets and upgrades, artist profiles and more visit http://www.shotoversunshinefestival.co.nz/.

Also jump online and ‘like’ SSF at http://www.facebook.com/shotoversunshine%20festival2013 to keep up to date with regular news, pics, vids, and prizes

The event's capacity is strictly limited to 5000 so get in quick to avoid missing out on this incredible Aotearoan festival  

"A heartfelt thanks and chur to all the artists and crew who are making the event possible, we love you all"- Simon Hendi aka Downtown Brown

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