FEATURE: There'll Be Something Missing At The Big Day Out This Summer

This Summer, Big Day Out hits the shores of Auckland once again - but with a notable omission. Something will be missing.

Rest assured the rock stars will be there – with a line up that includes such iconic names such as Rammstein, Tool, and Primal Scream, through to the indie talents of The Black Keys, Ratatat and local names such as The Phoenix Foundation and Shihad. There’s definitely no shortage of amazing music to soak up in just one day.

Those who’ve been before will tell you that Big Day Out is about more than just the bands.  There’s the tried and true carnival rides, the markets selling food and goodies as well as the ever-intriguing spectacle of the silent disco. All of this and so much more will be there again in 2011.

What will be missing though, are the clouds of smoke. Not the dry ice variety but those that come from the products of the tobacco industry. For the first time since being launched in Aotearoa in 1994, Mount Smart Stadium home of Big Day Out has become Smokefree.  That means no more coughing in the mosh pit from second hand smoke, no burn marks in your favourite top and no butts on the ground.

“The Big Day Out is more than the sound of the summer, it’s a lifestyle event that spans generations from 15 year olds coming in as a rite of passage to the fans who have been coming back year after year since the very early days,” says Campbell Smith, Big Day Out Auckland Promoter.

“Being part of the changing social attitude to smoking, we haven’t had cigarettes available for sale at the Big Day Out in recent years. And returning to a newly officially Smokefree Mt Smart in January 2011 is something we are one hundred  percent behind,” says Smith.

“Music has always been a powerful force for change and for a growing number of young people things like the Smoking Not Our Future brand are becoming a symbol of protest against an industry that profits from exploitation of smokers, says Susie Robertson, Manager of Smoking Not Our Future.

Visit the Auahi Kore Retreat to chill out on the giant bean bags where you will get the best view of the Smokefree Hot Produce Stage.  You can also play Guess The Butts in the Jar to win a trip to Melbourne BDO or an Ipod Touch and get snapped with a bunch of Smoking Not Our Future celebrities.

Big Day Out 2011, Mount Smart Stadium, Januray 21.

bigdayout.com

facebook.com/notourfuture