Forget Mr Dry Socks. He was sunbathing in Fiji during the New Year festivities.

Ponchos and gumboots were hot necessities around New Zealand, as festival goers throughout the country battled extreme weather conditions to catch their favourite acts.

But the mud made Martinborough's La De Da Festival something magic.

This young festival sprung into life as revellers entertained themselves with everything mud related: mud fights, mud baths and mud wrestling. Weather aside, people got into the creative spirit and were seen parading in giant colourful sombreros, oversized buckets and animal costumes. And then there was the occasional nudist. Tramping through the campsite, it was normal to see groups of people in mid-flight or fight as they embraced the muddy swamp. All great ingredients for a memorable festival.

Across two stages and two nights there was everyone from New Zealand’s Sola Rosa and Kora to Melbourne producer Opiuo and UK’s glitch expert Zomboy.

La De Da organisers had brought the people what they wanted, and the fusion of acts catered well to a mixed crowd. However, the lengthy mud-step between stages meant you were in one swamp or another in terms of catching the acts of choice. Perhaps teleportation devices would have helped?

Highlights? On the QUILMES main stage, Dub FX and partner Flower Fairy moved the crowd into the twilight zone, putting on a high energy set that certainly got the blood pumping. Like true kiwi performers, Fat Freddy's Drop did not fail to deliver as they strutted the stage in swandries and gumboots. They sure did warm up the damp crowd with a pitch perfect selection of newer, more instrumental numbers.

For those after something a bit more hectic, the AGWA electronic stage was a good thirty minute mud-stomp away. It pulled off a pulsating audio-visual experience for a keen crowd on both nights of the festival. There should be a special mention to MC's Beau and Tali for keeping the show alive and people in high spirits.

As expected, Mt Eden expertly blended fresh samples to eager dub-step fans, mixing their familiar sounding bass and trance vibes with a variety of drum beats. International act GZA (Wu-Tang Clan) impressed all with a selection of grimy hip-hop, but it was the buzz surrounding old-timers Concord Dawn after the countdown that kept me moving.

Kidz in Space upped the ante on the main stage in clown masks, with an impressive visuals show as the countdown began. Throwing glo-sticks and balloons into the crowd kept all entertained. Wrapping up the festival, the much anticipated Six60 played all the favourites to an excitable crowd. However, the technical difficulties of lead singer Matiu Walter’s guitar, and the band getting kicked off stage mid-set due to a strict curfew, may have made New Years Eve somewhat more memorable than expected for die-hard fans.

With high spirits, and festival goers grinning, La De Da was a memorable and muddy mess. The organisers have set their standards high, and I'll be back for round three this time dragging Mr Dry Socks along.

By Olivia Young