The organisers of Bay Dreams are cancelling both summer dates due to difficulty securing quarantine spots for international acts.

The festival was set to be the biggest of the year, with an event in Nelson (cap. 13,000) on 3 January and an event in Tauranga (cap. 30,000) on 6 January.

The line-up was announced when NZ was operating a trans-Tasman travel bubble and included acts such as Australians Tash Sultana and Tones and I, as well as European electronic artists Chase & Status and Netsky.

“As it stands, there is much uncertainty around the trans-Tasman bubble and quarantine spaces are extremely difficult to obtain,” wrote promoter Audiology Touring in a statement. “A queue of 30,000+ people are trying to gain access to a few thousand rooms.”

“A QUEUE OF 30,000+ PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO GAIN ACCESS TO A FEW THOUSAND ROOMS”

“At a time like this we have two choices: we either promote something that is unlikely to proceed, or we shift into an event that we can confidently bring to life for you.”

In lieu of the flagship events, Audiology will be hosting two alternative events in the same cities on the same dates, with the few international acts that have secured quarantine places. Netsky, Hybrid Minds, Friction and Koven have been confirmed so far.

Refunds for Bay Dreams are underway and the new sales will go on show next Wednesday (20 October).

Audiology says it’s working on securing more rooms every week and will add more acts in a second announcement when isolation places have been secured.