Welcome to Castle Lite’s Republic of Extra Cold, Stanley Island, Plettenberg Bay. It
sounds exotic, and it is! On 28 Dec 2015, three thousand hip and savvy revellers
gathered to enjoy SA’s top acts and many unique and unexpected experiences in the
extraordinary country which is the Republic of Extra Cold.

Stanley Island, the only private Island in South Africa, features an indigenous
milkwood forest, pristine wetlands and private beaches. The task of transforming
the Island into a “Country’ was in the hands of Set- and Technical provider Dream
Sets and their project manager Riaan Jacobs, guided by their client OMAGE and the
creative by Peter Blond.

Access to the island is only by ferry boat, ensuring the unique logistical challenge of
moving 230 tons of gear, dealing with tides, river crossings, thick beach sand and
an average daytime temperature of 30 degrees Celsius. A challenge which the crew
took in their stride, working together and enjoying the unique and beautiful
surroundings.

While the setting is spectacular, the equipment moves from the mainland to the
Island in stages, made possible by two barges, four 4×4 vehicles, ten 2-ton trailers
and a tractor. The load-in takes the efforts of 20 crew members and an additional
60 casual staff per day and lots of sunblock.

The equipment is loaded onto the 2-ton trailers, which are driven onto a floating
barge. The barge travels for about two minutes to get to the Island. On the Island
Dream Set built a wooden semi-submerged ramp in the water. “We drive 4×4’s
onto the barge and pull the trailers off the ramp through soft sand up the beach and
then it’s a 1km drive to where equipment needs to be set up.’ The empty trailers
are sent back onto the barge for the next load, rotating throughout the day. The
three “bakkies’ based on the Island during this period covered mileage of 1
500km’s.

Load-in began on December 11th, show day was on the 28th and the island was
back to its original state by January 5th.

Day-by-day the island was transformed into the various unique event spaces
consisting of 4 dance floors and 4 bars ready for the line-up of major musicians
including Good Luck, Craig De Sousa & Fresh – the Republic of Extra Cold was set to
be an unforgettable Plett adventure.

And as the sun set, the island’s new “citizens’ migrated to the Ice Cold Core area
where their experience was taken to the next level with out of this world
performances by some of SA’s top DJs. Lighting Designer Robert Hoey wowed on a
grandMA2 full size, having access to a generous Robe lighting rig.