Description:

Welcome to ‘Sojourn’, the ultimate coastal adventure and music festival! From seascape to soundstage, Sojourn seeks to guide festivalgoers through a mystical and melodic camping expedition, journeying to 6 picturesque pockets of paradise along the eastern coastline of the Coromandel Peninsula.

The ‘Sojourn Roadie Kit’ contains a collection of on-the-go supplies to unlock adventure; whether it be cranking up the car CD player, rocking the groovy new garms, slapping on some reef-safe sunblock, or putting pencil to postcard and dabbling in the art of reflection. The earth-friendly medley of en route companions was purposefully crafted with sustainability at its core from cradle-to-grave, by embracing renewable, compostable or recycled materials to better protect our natural playground.

Sojourn features a 100% organic line-up of bands and musicians from across Aotearoa and Australia, presenting a moreish mix of psychedelic garage grooves, 60s surf-rock nostalgia, danceable disco funk, lofi-folk melodies, and a splash of indie-dream pop. The all-encompassing organic nature of the sounds, supplies and coastal setting radiates the Sojourn kaupapa, encouraging gig-goers to treat the 12-day escape as a digital detox and to become immersed in the present moment, music, earth, and community.

The Sojourn concept was dreamt up whilst at my whānau’s humble abode in Pauanui, or the little coastal oasis we call “The Nui Hut”. The Coromandel has forever been my inner-adventurer's retreat, where I can escape the hurried reprise of everyday routine and find solace in a slow and simple lifestyle away from a frenzy of digital distractions. By removing social media from the mix it unlocks a refreshing sense of freedom and a desire to explore beyond the bounds of our daily default, with research suggesting that an ocean of Zoomers and Millennials also share this heightened sense of wanderlust when tech’s off the table.

When crafting the visual style of Sojourn, the purist in me came out to play as I took pencil-to-paper and hand illustrated each component – capturing the playfully groovy, organically free, and authentically analogue linework reminiscent of the 1960s and 1970s. In the spirit of “slowness”, it only seems fitting that a late-arvo listen of Billy Joel’s ‘Vienna’ sparked the story, style and soul of Sojourn. Even 45 years on, the lyrics “slow down you crazy child, take the phone off the hook and disappear for a while,” couldn’t ring more true.

So dive in fellow explorer, and immerse yourself in the eclectic spirit of the euphonious escapade I call, “Sojourn”. From seascape to soundstage, enjoy.