Come rain or shine, EXPLORING SPLORE: PART 1 welcomed several thousand revellers to The Island of the Hoo Haa. Imagination and costumes were a must, as this Festival Queen put on its wig and started the party.

Tucked away in Tapapakanga Regional Park, Splorers were able to bask in the natural beauties of east coast farmland and foreshores. Around 6,500 people sailed, cycled and drove their way to this three day extravaganza to experience vibrant and varied showcase of music, art installations, culture, delicious food and more. What more could you want? Organisers pleased all, from the tiny tots to the extroverted, inviting the rough-and-ready to the more sophisticated.

Accommodation on-site varied from tents and campervans to the five-star tepee style ‘glamping’ experience. Splore is what you make it; be it your feather boa, lycra pants or shimmy on the dance floor. There was even a couple getting hitched on the beach.

This biennial festival brought together a top international line-up, including soul sister Erykah Badu, English 80’s outfit Soul II Soul, electronic producer/DJ Hudson Mohawke, America’s much-anticipated DJ Qbert (USA) and renowned beat boxer Reeps One (UK). An exciting addition to the music arena was the video mapped DJ stage enhancing the dance and flow-jo of the beat makers themselves.

On the arts front, the talented Cut Collective crew teamed up with architect Jasper Middleton and UK based curator Emma Underhill (UP Projects) to construct a lagoon-side pavilion. This hosted a variety of performances and activities including yoga and art-inspired workshops, alongside acting as a place to relax and enjoy in the shade.

Friday warm-up

One of the true delights of this sell-out event is the blend of music, art and nature. As The Yoots got everyone jammin’ on the main stage, nearby the clever crew from Skinny kept the kids and young-at-heart entertained with a large lilo out on the water.

Towards the fresh-water lagoon the Hooha Hut was heating up with Jamin-1, Mr Big Stuff spinning the beats in the tropical themed bar. Linz Living Lounge kept the people entertained with Vibracorp’s Fluxus Funhouse – an interactive art performance, with comical clowns galore.

As the festival morphed from daylight to dusk, the gathering crowd were there for Erykah. With a substantial delay to her arrival, people were chomping at the bit and the wait was far too drawn out to keep people occupied. After much anticipation, a blinged up Badu and her top hat graced the stage. Her smile said it all.

This lady of soul raised the Splore spirits high with all the favourites, as the rain came down towards the end of her stunning set sending several hundred back up the hill to their tents...

Watch this space for more Splore chat...

By Olivia Young

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