Residents Demand Shorter Hours for Upcoming Rolling Meadows Festival

Residents of the Lower Styx area are expressing their discontent over the scheduled hours of the upcoming Rolling Meadows Festival, which is set to run from December 29, 2025, to January 1, 2026. A petition was launched on Friday, urging festival organisers to reconsider the event’s ending time of 2 a.m. after three days of continuous music.

Local resident Betty Chapman articulated the community’s concerns, stating, “We’re not against concerts if they’re held during normal hours.” The festival, which will feature over 80 local and international acts across four stages, has previously drawn crowds of up to 7,000 people when held over two days in Waipara, North Canterbury. This year, the event will be relocating to a new 62-hectare site on Lower Styx Rd and extending its duration.

Chapman noted that approximately 30 properties in the vicinity are impacted, with eight households expressing significant concern. She mentioned that depending on wind direction, the loud music from the festival could disrupt residents in nearby Prestons and Burwood. “The only consultation was when one of the festival organisers came around to talk to my husband while I was away,” she said. “When I found out that we were the only ones mentioned as having concerns, I was shocked.”

The festival organisers have proposed to cover the costs for alternate accommodation for residents during the event and promised to implement measures such as hiring personnel to manage street patrols, waste disposal, and security. Despite these assurances, Chapman expressed a strong preference to remain in their homes, citing concerns about safety and property security during the festival.

The group of concerned residents has also met with Coastal Ward city councillor Celeste Donovan, where around 30 people attended to voice their grievances. Chapman pointed out the potential traffic issues, stating, “We’re going to have up to 10,000 people in the area on a very narrow two-lane road.” She highlighted the added complications that could arise from the annual New Year’s Day gala at nearby Spencerville, raising questions about how the community would handle increased traffic congestion.

Chapman and her husband have resided in the area for 14 years, and she lamented that they would have chosen differently had they known a festival of this scale could occur. Many residents in the area, she noted, are retirees who sought a peaceful lifestyle. “We’re not happy,” she added.

Despite the mounting concerns, preparations for the festival site have already begun, even though resource consent has not yet been granted. According to Mark Stevenson, head of planning and consents at the city council, the council is currently reviewing a revised proposal for the festival and awaits additional information from the applicant to continue processing the application.

The festival lineup is expected to be announced on Monday, but attempts to reach festival organisers for comment have been unsuccessful. As the community voices its concerns, the future of the Rolling Meadows Festival remains uncertain as discussions continue.