At the end of November last year, thousands of people from across the Polynesian island of Tahiti gathered for the first annual Tiki Fest. Featuring an extensive line-up of performers, the event was headlined by international DJ and producer Diplo. He delivered an epic performance on an impressive stage that featured over 2 million pixels of ADJ video wall and 24 of ADJ’s powerful Hydro Beam X2 IP65-rated moving heads.
The perfect setting for an outdoor music festival, Tiki Fest 2019 was hosted right by the Pacific ocean at Bel Air in Punaauia. It was organised by Studio 87 Event and Production, a well-established Tahitian company with a reputation for bringing high-profile performers to the island. As one of the biggest events to take place in Tahiti last year, the production for the festival had to be world class and to achieve that Studio 87 brought in regular collaborators Visual Events. Also based on the island, Visual Events is a full service audio, lighting and video production company headed up by Didier Corsin. With a large inventory of rental equipment, Visual Events supplies both public and private events of all sizes throughout Tahiti.
For Tiki Fest, video content featured prominently in the stage design Didier created for Studio 87. Video panels were positioned both in front of, and behind, the DJ position, while additional hangs of panels extended out across both wings becoming progressively narrower. To create this impressive LED video setup Didier relied on his inventory of ADJ AV3 panels. Offering a pixel pitch of 3.91mm and brightness of 1000NITS, the AV3 is lightweight as well as easy to rig, making it ideal for use on touring productions and one-off events and festivals. Each panel features two independent LED modules, allowing for easy serviceability, and can be curved in or out by up to 10-degrees.
“With a fine pixel pitch, the AV3 panels were perfect for this event,” explains Didier. “They looked just as good when viewed from the front of the stage as from the back of the crowd. I also really like the ability to curve the panels, which allows our stage designs to be even more creative. For Tiki Fest we made use of this feature to curve the backdrop behind the DJ position so that is wrapped around onto the roof of the stage above the performers. I’ve always found the AV3 to be a reliable product, and that was the case on this show – we didn’t have any problems with any of the 136 panels on the rig.”
The lighting setup for the festival comprised of a wide variety of fixtures from both ADJ and sister company Elation Professional. The moving head used in the largest quantity was ADJ’s flagship IP65-rated beam fixture, the Hydro Beam X2, which had recently been added to Visual Events’ rental stock. This powerhouse fixture utilizes a potent Osram Sirius HRI 370W discharge lamp focused through precision-engineered optics into a razor sharp 3-degree beam. With a wealth of features, including linear motorized focus, two 8-facet prisms (circular and linear), rotating and replaceable GOBOs and an independent frost filter for wash effects, it is ideal for use on festival stages and for other largescale events. For Tiki Fest, 24 of the fixtures were deployed in groups of six stacked vertically on ladder trusses placed between the hangs of video panels on the side wings.
“I’ve been very pleased with the Hydro Beam X2s,” comments Didier. “I have found them to be extremely bright, with a very sharp beam, which makes them perfect for large events like Tiki Fest. They are also IP65-rated, which is important on outdoor shows like this one, and they have proven to be extremely reliable even when used out in the Tahitian rain, which can be very heavy!”
The blinder fixture Didier selected for the rig was ADJ’s IP54-rated Encore Burst 200. This high intensity dual lens unit is powered by two 110W warm white (2700K) CREE COB LEDs that generate an output similar to a conventional halogen lamp but requiring a fraction of the power. The fixture is constructed with a rugged metal housing and an aluminum extrusion rails system that can be used to connect multiple fixtures to create a larger cluster of units in a vertical or horizontal array. The fixture also features a Tungsten Mode that replicates a halogen-like dimming profile.
“Bringing a high profile artist like Diplo to our small island was a big deal,” states Didier, “and I’m pleased to be able to say that everything went very smoothly. It was the biggest DJ event in Tahiti for years and both the client and artist were very happy. In fact we’re already working together again on a Major Lazer show on the island planned for the end of August. The ADJ fixtures we used for the festival all worked very well and we plan to use more and more of them in the future. They are good quality, reliable and good value for money. We’ve also had very good after sales support from ADJ’s Export Manager, Chuck Green, even though we’re out in the middle of the Ocean, Chuck looks after us as if we were just down the street!”
Event
Tiki Fest Tahiti 2019
Organizer
Studio 87 Event and Production
Technical Production Company
Visual Events
Production Manager
Didier Corsin
Gear List
– 136 x ADJ AV3
– 24 x ADJ Hydro Beam X2
– 12 x ADJ Encore Burst 200
– 60 x ADJ SIXPAR 300IP
– 16 x Elation Professional Platinum Wash 16R PRO
– 12 x Elation Professional Platinum HFX
– 9 x Elation Professional Platinum Beam 5R PRO
– 8 Elation Professional Platinum Spot 35 PRO
– 8 Elation Professional Proton 3K
– 16 x Elation Professional DW PAR Z19 IP
– 8 x Elation Professional WW Profile IP
