It’s hard to believe that it’s already New Year’s Eve, much less that the festival season for another year is kicking into gear. For a large section of Adelaide’s NYE revellers, Summadayze down at Rymill Park was where the last party of 2011 and the first of 2012 was at. Blistering heat didn’t seem to deter the park from filling up considerably when the gates opened at 2pm, but with everyone beginning to crowd around the four stages, what was initially a temperature settled in the high thirties soared as the day went on.

Spinning tunes up on the Magenta stage was DJ/TV personality/fashion designer/anything else you can think of, Ruby Rose. Pulling a decent crowd of half clothed people shuffling and dancing like nobody was watching, Rose opened the day up quite enjoyably. One thing I noticed early on was how prompt and tight each set ran during the festival – I guess the advantage of having a bill predominantly consisting of DJs meant that acts were able to be bumped in and out with ease.

Sydney’s Sneaky Sound System took to Magenta next, the first time I’ve seen them perform without Daimon Downey. I’ve always thought Connie Mitchell is quite talented in working crowds up into a frenzy and without Downey, she held her own just as well. With a catalogue of hits to smash through, Sneaky Sound System breezed through their set without a pause. As the first ‘band’ act on my timetable, Sneaky Sound System were fun, though being out in the direct sun for the forty-five minute set was starting to take its toll.

For the Adelaide leg of Summadayze to land American rap icon Snoop Dogg was impressive, considering he was due to play Shore Thing in Sydney that night. Arriving in town only a few hours before the festival started, Snoop strutted out onto Magenta to one of the biggest crowds of the day. With recognisable Dr. Dre made beats being dropped and Snoop’s trademark rhyme delivery sounding as smooth live as they do on record, this was a set I was definitely impressed with. Girls clambered onto shoulders to get a better look of Snoop as he worked his way through tracks including “The Next Episode”, “Beautiful” and “Drop It Like It’s Hot”, flashing their breasts in appreciation. It was easy to tell that Snoop has clearly been in the game for a long time and knew how to handle not only polished performances of his songs, but also the masses.

Following Snoop’s set, I decided to tap out of being in amongst everyone else moshing/grinding/generally rubbing skin up on me, so I retreated to the comfort of the VIP section, where I managed to score a sweet position overlooking Magenta – a spot I really didn’t leave for the rest of the day, which suited me fine.

The next highlight came with electro/dub act Pendulum. Billed as doing a DJ set, the duo pulled a massive amount of people ready to go absolutely spastic. A ninety minute set which was performed with no breaks and lull in energy, Pendulum proved why they always manage to garner rave reviews of their live show. I caught the tail end of their set at Future Music this year and was thankful that I had my spot in the bleachers, because the large mosh looked intense, just as it had earlier in the year.

Renowned American DJ/producer Moby kicked into his set next, but for anyone not paying heavy attention, by this time in the festival, everything was beginning to sound the same. I was slightly disappointed Moby wasn’t performing his own live show, as I was with Pendulum and headliners Justice, and while there were moments in his set which really stood out, two hours felt like it was too long. Thankfully, the heat began to subside with the sun setting and it was interesting to watch the crowds become weary, with many flaking out on the ground.

At this point of the evening, it seemed like everyone was hanging out for the New Year’s countdown. Drinks were flowing heavily, cops were doing their rounds and fire trucks and ambulances were on standby in case anything severe went down. French producer Busy P had the job of keeping people going before Justice came onstage but once again, with no break in genre, I was beginning to feel a bit drained from all the electro/house. I had been interested in catching the Ed Banger-signed DJ live; I only wished he had been on earlier in the day, because I probably would have enjoyed it more.

When Justice took over, I was surprised at two things – one, that they only pulled probably 500 people max, and two, that their DJ set didn’t quite meet the expectations I’d had. I was aware of their reputation as a live act and their DJ sets have been equally as raved about. I still assume that it was a combination of where they fell in the schedule of acts, the fact that Bliss n Eso were pulling a big crowd over at Scarlet and that by the last hour of the night, people were just waiting for midnight, that Justice weren’t able to pull off a set to be raved about. In saying this, I was impressed by what I saw, with the French duo bopping along and throwing out some great electro.

Soon enough the countdown began and massive balloons were let loose from the stage as fireworks lit up the sky – it felt like an accomplishment that I’d made it through the night without suffering heatstroke!

Following the fireworks display and about 10 further minutes of Justice’s set, I was ready to leave and it seemed like a good chunk of the festival’s punters had a similar idea. A mass exodus from the park ensued even though Summadayze wasn’t due to finish for another few hours, but again, the heat and other New Year’s commitments in town was probably acting against the festival and its organisers.

By all accounts, Summadayze managed to provide some great times – I was able to see some artists I didn’t think I’d ever see and while the heat was overbearing, there was a fun vibe which kept up the whole way through. For this reviewer, I couldn’t think of a more apt way of ringing in the New Year.