Bay Dreams Festival 2021
What an incredible way to kick off the new year and put 2020 firmly into the rear-view mirror where it belongs!
Lost Motel was engaged by Bay Dreams North & South to run the Artist Liaison Departments at both festivals, their respective pre-parties, and a string of headline artist sideshows to boot.
Comprehensive advance communication with all artist touring parties was undertaken to ensure no question went unanswered - from how many rolled white stage towels would be provided in the dressing room through to how many pieces of luggage is too many to fit in the back of a sprinter van (don’t worry - we had luggage trailers at the ready!). Lost Motel oversaw the build of the backstage areas and dressed marquees so they were a comfortable escape from the sociable spaces. Early check-in and late check-out dreams were made a reality at the 14 various hotels that hosted artists and crew alike.
We were also tasked with the uniquely 2020 mission of managing entry and isolation for international acts in the wake of COVID-19. This meant making sure UK DnB heavyweights like Sub Focus, Dimension and Friction, Atlanta’s very own EarthGang, and Aussie favs like Peking Duk were able to travel to and from New Zealand, abiding by all local and international COVID-safe requirements and making it for their respective sets across 8 stages. We were so lucky to have the international acts that we did - they really leant into the whole scenario and approached the isolation period like champs to ensure a safe event. Huge thanks and acknowledgement must also go to the promoters for entrusting us with this important and at times stressful process!
The Bay Dreams South backstage area.
One half of our incredible team!
Custom care packages on
their way to hotel quarantine!
The artist charter from Bay Dreams North to Bay Dreams South. A plane full of legends!
Our unofficial recovery station…
Our little home for Bay Dreams South.
Spending 8 months on the project in total, Lost Motel began with a core team of 2 that eventually evolved into an Artist Liaison Department consisting of a full crew of 37 on show days for the North Island edition and 23 on show days for the South Island edition.
We are so grateful to the whole team for the resilience, patience and pure passion they put in to make artist logistics a reality for this unique edition of a New Zealand festival favourite. You can't say we don't go above and beyond to create that reality either! Flying with 26 checked bags spread between 3 people at 6am in the morning (on a standard domestic flight, no less) definitely sticks in the memory bank for this one.
On a more serious note: with the current state of events and gatherings around the globe, we definitely do not take for granted how lucky we were to be in a place where we could help bring something spectacular like Bay Dreams to life.
