Day on the Green blown away

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The B-52s bombed out, The Proclaimers were silenced and the Pink Flamingos were plucked.

Gales of up to 100kmh put an end to the three bands performing at A Day on the Green concert at Martinborough's Alana Estate two hours after it should have started.

A spokesman for promoter Roundhouse Entertainment said the 5000 people who bought tickets would get a full refund.

Crowds arrived on Saturday for the 4pm opening of the estate gates. They stood on the roads or sat on the grass, enjoying the sunshine, backs to the wind until the gates opened at 4.30pm.

A concertgoer said the driveway filled up with people for a few hundred metres then everything ground to a halt. Eventually a lot of the crowd sat down.

About 5pm staff sent out the word that "MetService said the venue could open in about half an hour when the wind dropped".

This signalled a sitdown and the opening of picnics, and curses from many who had left their banned alcohol on buses, the concertgoer said.

Eventually the word came through, and trickled through the crowd, it was all off. With surprising good humour from most, people returned to their buses and cars – just as the gales began to ease.

- © Fairfax NZ News