If Sina Saffari looks like he s had no sleep, that s because he hasn t. After two quickfire lockdowns in Auckland, the co-founder of a long-running Kaipara music festival is so busy he s been unable to get any shut eye.
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Earth Beat Aotearoa is a five-day family-friendly music and arts festival that is set to kick off on Wednesday. I m pretty swamped, admits Saffari, who immediately orders a strong iced coffee when he arrives at an inner city Auckland cafe. I m already up to my eyeballs as it is. He s been up all night for good reason. Saffari s Earth Beat Aotearoa is a five-day family-friendly music and arts festival that is set to kick off on Wednesday.
Oron and Saffari’s festival isn’t like others. Instead of binge-drinking to loud music, ticket holders enjoy wellness workshops, yoga tutorials, sweat lodges and juice cleanses during the day, while an eclectic musical selection soundtracks dance parties at night. “The essence of Earthbeat is for people to feel empowered, revitalised and amped up for life,” says Saffari. “People come away more energised than when they came to the festival.” On that hot March day, Oron and Saffari were standing in the serenity of Ātiu Creek, watching their festival city being built around them with smiles on their faces. Then their phones buzzed. It was a government alert: New Zealand would soon go into lockdown to contain the spread of an outbreak of Covid-19.