A pair of Thames teens have turned to social media to launch a $500,000 fundraising appeal aimed at saving the Parachute Christian music festival. Parachute Music chief executive Mark de Jong announced last week that the curtain had fallen on the event, held at Mystery Creek Events Centre near Hamilton, after 24 years. January’s event Read more
Organisers of the country’s longest-running event say it’s no longer viable financially and this year’s event in January was the last. The Parachute Festival has attracted tens of thousands of fans every year to Hamilton since it began in 1992. Founder Mark de Jong, said they reduced ticket prices, slashed operation budgets and did many Read more
It looked as if Parachute’s dumping major American bands in favour of New Zealand artists didn’t pay off this year. Festival founder Mark de Jong had told Fairfax Media earlier in the month there had been a change in the Parachute ethos this year as the average young Christian didn’t listen mostly to Christian music Read more