The Great Ngaruawahia Music Festival

The Great Ngaruawahia Music Festival, was the first large outdoor event in New Zealand to feature music as the central theme. It ran in 1973, for 3 days, 6,7,8th January, at a farm at Ngaruawahia, 19 kilometres north-west of Hamilton, on the Waikato River.

Management

* Robert Raymond
* Barry Coburn

Performers

* Corben Simpson (NZ) - opening act,
* Black Sabbath (UK)
* Fairport Convention (UK)
* Blerta (NZ)
* Dragon (NZ)
* La De Das
* Mammal (NZ)
* Max Merritt & The Meteors
* Split Ends (NZ)
* Bulldogs Allstar Goodtime Band (NZ)
* Powerhouse (NZ)
* Orb
* Butler (NZ)
* Ticket (NZ)

Publicity

* Corben Simpson removed all his clothes on stage and was reported nation-wide in the media, Black Sabbath burned a cross on the hill while getting the entire audience to light a match or lighter.
* "Todd (Hunter) ... gathered some friends and fellow performers for an appearance at the Great Ngaruawahia Music Festival. They wrote original songs for their set list, and someone pulled the name "Dragon" out of an I Ching book. Their performance at the Ngaruawahia Music Festival led to a better gig, a few weeks performing at the Occidental Hotel in Auckland." [http://members.aol.com/boardwalk7/dragon/dragon.html]

Part of New Zealand History

" Large music festivals, for example Sweetwaters, Nambassa and The Big Day Out, have been staged periodically since the 1970s .." [http://www.teara.govt.nz/NewZealandInBrief/CreativeLife/7/en]

ee also

* New Zealand music festivals

References

Books - John Dix - 'Stranded In Paradise' (Paradise Publications 1988 )

External References

* [http://www.teara.govt.nz/NewZealandInBrief/CreativeLife/7/en Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand]
* [http://www.sergent.com.au/nzmusic.html Bruce Sergent New Zealand Music]
* [http://www.milesago.com/Festivals/ngaruawahia.htm Australasian music and popular culture 1964-1975]