Around 13,000 people attended George in the Park at Coyle Park at the weekend to hear Sola Rosa, Kings, Stack & Piece and Nice ’n’ Urlich.
The event was planned to be family-friendly, and provided an increased number of food stalls, plenty of free water and supervised entertainment for children, alongside the fantastic line-up of artists.
“The vast majority of attendants had a fun afternoon with their friends and families, and we’d like to thank everyone who contributed positively to this atmosphere,” says David Burt, Auckland Council Manager Events.
“We were extremely disappointed to see and hear about the poor behaviour from a number of the attendees, which certainly did not reflect the intent of Music in Parks.
“We are not happy with how the event ended and the behaviour that was exhibited by some patrons. We deeply regret any unpleasantness and inconvenience experienced by other attendees and local residents,” he says.
As Coyle Park is not subject to a permanent liquor ban, attendees were able to bring their own alcohol, and steps to address and prepare for people doing this were taken, Mr Burt says.
“Along with the free water and range of food stalls, the event was glass-free, which was largely adhered to. There was also increased security for crowd control at the park.
“We also had a crowd care area where overly intoxicated people were taken to recover, and where they were offered free food.
“A few attendees who were extremely intoxicated and exhibiting poor behaviour before the event were denied entry, while others were removed throughout the event by security and police.
“We also strongly encouraged attendees to look after their friends and each other at the event, in both pre-event and on-site communications.”
Mr Burt says that, as with all big events, the council will be undertaking a review of this year’s George in the Park to reflect on any learnings and consider all options for the event in the future, including how it can be better managed if it does go ahead again.
“As part of this, we are reviewing the complaints and all the individual feedback we have received, and are proactively contacting others who have expressed concerns to thoroughly understand the issues,” Mr Burt says.
“We will work hard to ensure that this does not happen again.”
