It has been a week since Splore-ers set up camp on Tapapakanga Regional Park and I am pretty sure most of us haven’t recovered from the three day festival.
For those not familiar with Splore, it happens every two years and is a summer outdoor music, art and cultural festival. It really does have everything for everyone! Right on the stunning shores of the Coromandel peninsula, Splore is a festival that stands out from the rest and offers such a unique and amazing experience.
Highlight of the festival was the queen of neo-soul Erykah Badu. I was lucky enough to see her at Good Vibrations in Sydney last year but only managed to catch the last five minutes of her set.
Walking onto the main stage at Splore dressed in black with heavy gold chains and white heeled boots, she started off her set with 20 Feet Tall. The opening track of her latest album Part Two (Return of the Ankh). She then took us back to where it started with On and On and continued with Didn’t Cha Know, Kiss Me On My Neck, A.D.2000, Bump It, Apple Tree and Telephone.
I may be biased but it was one of the most amazing performances I have ever seen. Such great energy and she knew how to work the crowd; making us laugh and singing how she believed in us. Towards the end of her set a light drizzle started which ended in a torrential downpour. By this point, Badu hopped off the stage and down to the front of the crowd to connect with the crowd and get soaked with the rest us. It was glorious and by that point everyone knew she was a goddess.
Another standout from the festival were the Cuban Brothers, Hudson Mohawke and Ahoribuzz. The latter performed on the final day while the first two performed on the second day.
Cuban Brothers were hilarious on stage with two of their backup dancers dressed in spandex bodysuits with tassels attached. Hudson Mohawke was outstanding with his mixes. He mixed a Ludacris track with what I think was Foster The People. His set definitely had the crowd going.
Apart from the music, Splore did offer other forms of entertainment including the delicious Cirque Non Sequitur which we quite enjoyed. At the end of the beach was meditation, tai chi, pilates and yoga in the mornings. The other end provided an art walk with Splorebots, a totum pole, a kaleidoscope, interactive lightbox and swings.
Splore was a very well organized festival and the volunteers were quite friendly and helpful. They even had free hot showers!! Do you know how awesome that is after sweating it out all day dancing and gallivanting around the park?! Check out some of the pics I took from below.
