Edition timeline
NZ History explains that organiser Peter Terry built the Nambassa collective through preceding events, especially the Waikino Music Festival of January 1977, which drew more than 5,000 people.
NZ History explains that organiser Peter Terry built the Nambassa collective through preceding events, especially the Waikino Music Festival of January 1977, which drew more than 5,000 people.
The first formal Nambassa Music, Crafts and Alternative Festival was held in January 1978 at Golden Valley near Waihi; NZ History gives about 25,000 attendees, while National Library ephemera dates the three festival days to 28–30 January 1978.
The first formal Nambassa Music, Crafts and Alternative Festival was held in January 1978 at Golden Valley near Waihi; NZ History gives about 25,000 attendees, while National Library ephemera dates the three festival days to 28–30 January 1978.
The best-known Nambassa ran 27–29 January 1979 at Golden Valley.
The best-known Nambassa ran 27–29 January 1979 at Golden Valley. NZ History states that it drew more than 65,000 people and describes it as the zenith of New Zealand's hippie-generation mass gatherings.
A later formal Nambassa took place 22–26 January 1981 at Waitawheta.
A later formal Nambassa took place 22–26 January 1981 at Waitawheta. National Library posters and programmes preserve the dates and artists/speakers, while NZ History's festival chronology confirms the event.
Music was only one layer: crafts, workshops, theatre, alternative technology, spirituality, health, children's spaces and communal infrastructure made Nambassa closer to a temporary alternative settlement.
Music was only one layer: crafts, workshops, theatre, alternative technology, spirituality, health, children's spaces and communal infrastructure made Nambassa closer to a temporary alternative settlement.
Why this event matters
Nambassa is a social system. The music is important, but the article becomes distinctive when it asks what people ate, built, taught, traded and believed while living together on the site. NZ History explains that organiser Peter Terry built the Nambassa collective through preceding events, especially the Waikino Music Festival of January 1977, which drew more than 5,000 people.
Place, site and audience
The first formal Nambassa Music, Crafts and Alternative Festival was held in January 1978 at Golden Valley near Waihi; NZ History gives about 25,000 attendees, while National Library ephemera dates the three festival days to 28–30 January 1978. The best-known Nambassa ran 27–29 January 1979 at Golden Valley.
What the audience experienced
A later formal Nambassa took place 22–26 January 1981 at Waitawheta. Music was only one layer: crafts, workshops, theatre, alternative technology, spirituality, health, children's spaces and communal infrastructure made Nambassa closer to a temporary alternative settlement.
What happened afterward
National Library and NZ History collections preserve posters, programmes, photographs and documentary material from 1978–1981.
Follow the festival beyond the field
Timeline
Related genres
More routes will be connected as the archive grows.
Related band guides
More routes will be connected as the archive grows.
Explore by sound
More routes will be connected as the archive grows.
Essential listening
Sources and further reading
- NZ History – NambassaEditorial source spine · accessed 23 July 2026
- National Library of New Zealand – Nambassa ephemera and programmes, 1978–1981Editorial source spine · accessed 23 July 2026
- National Library – Nambassa 22–26 January 1981, Waitawheta posterEditorial source spine · accessed 23 July 2026
- NZ History – Rock music festivals 1970–2010Editorial source spine · accessed 23 July 2026
Image credits5 licensed images
Split Enz at Nambassa in January 1979, directly identified by the item-level record — Nambassa Trust and Peter Terry — Wikimedia Commons — CC BY-SA 3.0 · source record · CC BY-SA 3.0
Converted to WebP and resized; no generative or compositional alterations.
A scene at the five-day Nambassa festival in 1981, directly identified by the source record — The original uploader was Mombas at English Wikipedia . — Wikimedia Commons — CC BY-SA 2.5 · source record · CC BY-SA 2.5
Converted to WebP and resized; no generative or compositional alterations.
Negative Theatre on Nambassa's main stage in 1979, directly documented by the item record — The original uploader was Mombas at English Wikipedia . — Wikimedia Commons — CC BY-SA 3.0 · source record · CC BY-SA 3.0
Converted to WebP and resized; no generative or compositional alterations.
Barry McGuire on Nambassa's main stage in 1979, directly identified by the source record — The original uploader was Mombas at English Wikipedia . — Wikimedia Commons — CC BY-SA 2.5 · source record · CC BY-SA 2.5
Converted to WebP and resized; no generative or compositional alterations.
Mahana at Nambassa's Redhat Theatre in 1981, directly identified by the item record — The original uploader was Mombas at English Wikipedia . — Wikimedia Commons — CC BY-SA 2.5 · source record · CC BY-SA 2.5
Converted to WebP and resized; no generative or compositional alterations.