Thousands of festival goers are arriving for Raglan's Soundsplash music festival after organisers shared an "important transport update".
A tangi is also being held on Friday morning and traffic for the two events is expected to clash.
"Iconic local kuia" Marleina Te Kanawa recently passed away and her tangi is expected to have around 800 attendees.
The tangi will be held at Poihakena Marae, 216 Wainui Road, Raglan and will begin around 11 am with traffic management in place between 12 and 2pm.
Soundsplash said "additional traffic management will be in place at the Raglan one-way bridge heading towards the Soundsplash main festival site," as they expect heavy congestion as traffic arrives for the festival and the tangi.
Festival organiser Brian Ruawai said "I would like to firstly acknowledge Marleina Te Kanawa and her contribution to our local community. On behalf of the whole Soundsplash team, I want to extend our heartfelt condolences to the whānau".
He acknowledged the tangi would potentially cause delays for some Soundsplash attendees but said "Soundsplash is firmly committed to our local community, our local iwi as well as to supporting kaupapa Māori.
"We are working closely with the iwi and the whānau to honour the tangihanga process and we request in advance some patience and grace from Soundsplash attendees who are adversely affected by the additional traffic management being put in place for the tangi."
A spokesperson for the family said they are "grateful for the understanding of all involved.
"We acknowledge that there will be a slight delay to attendees of Soundsplash due to the Rickard whānau funeral procession leaving Poihakena Marae at 12.15pm to head to Te Whaanga/Whale Bay."
Soundsplash is held at the Wainui reserve in Raglan and access is gained via Ngarunui beach.
Organisers say "it is very important to keep the main road up to the festival clear of congestion for emergency services".
They are telling attendees to expect traffic delays potentially lasting an hour or more when entering through the gates.
"It is crucial that all drop-offs and pickups occur at the Raglan Airfield to prevent traffic congestion and reduce long wait times," their website highlighted.
Soundsplash has also said they have addressed the long wait times that plagued 2023's festival.
Attendees last year told Newshub many of them had to wait eight hours in lines and were told they couldn't take water with them.
Soundsplash told Newshub that this year water stations near the queue will be available and attendees have been told to bring empty bottles to fill.
Sunscreen will also be available and extra shade has been added to the waiting areas at Raglan airfield.
Busses from Auckland and Hamilton will also shuttle people who purchased the option in an effort to reduce congestion.
On Friday morning, thousands had already arrived for the festival.
The six-hour delays from 2023 have been reduced to one hour for most as the organisers' big changes take effect.
