For two years in a row I went from Auckland to Queenstown. Road tripping with friends through the gorgeous country that is New Zealand to get to Rhythm & Alps – a New Year’s Music Festival in Cardrona Valley.
Where to stay:
You can stay onsite at the festival with a camping pass, available to purchase as an addon to your ticket. This also gives you access to an exclusive campsite concert on the 29th.
Looking to make friends during your stay? Contiki also run 4-day & 7-day trips with VIP access & premium camping.
You can also look up places to say in the Queenstown/Wanaka area on sites such as AirBnB & Bookabach. I recommend looking well ahead, as many people buy tickets up to a year in advance for this festival.
Getting to & from the festival
If you’re not already camping on site, there are buses available from Queenstown and Wanaka. However, if you’re also seeing some of the sights around the south island and you have a car, it might be best to designate a sober driver and drive in. It’s fairly easy to find parking each day and leave at night.
What to wear:
Get a festival outfit together, R&A fashion follows current festival trends and leans toward boho looks. Need some inspo for your festi fit? Check out my Pinterest Board!
A festival outfit blog post is coming soon too!
The Festival – Rhythm & Alps
Camp Stage
This stage is exclusive for those staying onsite with a 3 day camping pass. This is the only stage open on the 29th as a sort of pre-party to the main event while camping attendees set up.
Boom Box
The smallest stage, playing DnB inside a small shipping container. Get ready for a rave where the music absolutely surrounds you! It can be a tight squeeze if busy, although capacity is managed by security guards outside the door.
Log Cabin
Another small stage for intimate DJ sets, this one has a little more space than the boom box, but its still very small.
Sonarchy Stage
This stage often has large dynamic and visual projections on it, It tends to change every couple of years, and in the years I visited, it was the Buddha stage. This is where you can find more indie/alternative performances.
Alpine Arena – The Main Stage
The biggest stage is where you’ll find all the main acts and is the best place to bring in the new year especially if you want a good view of the fireworks!
VIP Area
This area sits across from the main stage and has an exclusive bar, chill out zones with seating/tables, nicer toilets and phone charging stations.
Food & Drink
Food Vendors can be found near the alpine arena. There are multiple bars around the site and all of them have the same range of drinks, except for the VIP bar which has a wider selection, including a range of cocktails.
Interested in working at Rhythm & Alps?
Bear in mind that festivals are a marathon not a sprint whether you’re attending or working them, this festival is 3 days long and working it you’ll be there at least an extra day on either side.
To apply for work at Rhythm & Alps, apply for voluntary roles or paid bar staff positions through their website here.
Things to do outside the festival:
Queenstown & Wanaka are a hotspot for tourism activities in New Zealand. A blog post will be coming soon!
