Juicy Fest organizers have apologized after the Auckland event led to a dozen arrests and an incident in which a gang member bit off part of another reveler’s ear.
The RnB and Hip Hop music festival, which took place in Melbourne on Friday evening, took place in Auckland on January 6, which promoter and founder Glenn Meikle said was marred by “undesirables”.
Gang regalia such as patches were banned at the event, but one partygoer said the common chanting and tattoos made it clear there was a gang presence that overshadowed T-Pain and Ashanti’s main event.
The witness said a concertgoer had responded to a “barking dog chant” from a nearby group by raising his fist in a gesture of Black Power, a prominent gang in New Zealand.
This resulted in one of the members of the other group attacking him and partially biting off his ear.
Juicy Fest organizers have apologized after the event, currently taking place in Australia, went out of hand in Auckland (pictured by headliner T-Pain)
The event in Auckland resulted in twelve arrests and one man had his ear bitten off during an altercation
The previous leg of the tour in Wellington experienced similar problems with crowds saying gang members had overrun the V-VIP (Very, Very important Person) area.
“We can only apologize if a small number of untoward things have ruined the experience for some, and we would hate to see this tarnish what was a positive event for most,” Mr Meikle said.
“Overall, each Juicy Fest event has been a great day celebrating R&B and hip-hop and of course we learn from each event.”
Police arrest reveler at New Zealand’s Juicy Fest after partygoers claim he was overrun by gangs
An attendee at the Wellington event said fights broke out regularly and the bouncers “just left it to their own devices.”
He and his wife left the event early after he was hit in the head by a full beer can that someone threw.
Police said six arrests were made at the Wellington event and 12 at the Auckland event.
St John Ambulance said its officers had treated 81 people at the Wellington event and 110 at the Auckland event for various issues.