Australia Largest Music Festival First Day Cancellation, Amid Wild Weather

Australia Largest Music Festival First Day Cancellation

Australia's largest music festival has become a mud pit, forcing organizers to cancel the first day of acts as concertgoers complained of quagmires and flooded tents.

Fans had been excited about the return of Splendour in the Grass, a three-day festival featuring international acts like Liam Gallagher, Gorillaz, Tyler the Creator, and The Strokes, after a two-year pandemic-enforced hiatus.

But non-stop rainy weather along the New South Wales coast throughout the week has created hazardous conditions at the festival site near Byron Bay, the up-market coastal town popular with Hollywood celebrities.

Related: Liam Gallagher says he hasn't seen his brother Noel in 10 years

Weather And Staff Shortages Program Has Been Canceled

As they canceled Friday's program, organizers said the "weather and staff shortages were all worse than expected."

A significant weather system is currently sitting off the east coast and may reach land later today, bringing more rainfall, organizers said in a statement published on the event's Facebook page.

In the interest of patron safety and consultation with all relevant emergency services, we have decided to err on caution and cancel performances on the main stages today only.

Add Block

Cost Of The Festival Single Day Pass

About 50,000 people were expected to attend this year's festival, most of who paid between A$189 for a single day pass and A$399 for three whole days.

Pictures and videos on social media showed pooling muddy water and dozens of festival goers dressed in ponchos braving heavy rain.

Many lamented the sinister organization of the event, sharing their "nightmare experiences" on social media of dealing with snaking traffic jams and bogged vehicles as people tried to get into and out of the festival grounds.

The Bahamas Five-Star Experience Event In 2017

One attendee, who said he'd been stuck in his car for 8.5 hours, likened the event to Australia's "Fyre Festival," an event touted as a five-star experience in the Bahamas in 2017 that offered little more than tents and rotten sandwiches.

No staff, no information; I think this is Australia's Fyre festival. A hell scape at Splendour.

Others called for the festival to be canceled in the interest of public safety. I'm honestly of the opinion that if you put the safety of both staff and attendees first, you should withdraw, said one Facebook user.

But the organizers vowed the show could continue on Saturday and Sunday. Please be assured that our event team is working very hard to provide the best experience possible under the current circumstances, they said in a statement.

Climate Crisis With The Current Circumstances

As much of the world has sweltered during summer heat waves, Australia has experienced a particularly wet winter punctuated by flooding along the eastern coast.

Experts, the climate crisis had increased the frequency and intensity of the La Nina weather system, generating above-average rainfall.

Earlier this month, devastating floods hit New South Wales, Australia's most populous state, damaging homes still waiting for repairs from the previous floods and forcing businesses to shutter.