Parents forced to spend hundreds to chaperone teenagers at Splendour in the Grass after late rule change

It is not clear if Splendour in the Grass organisers were aware of legislative changes made to the music festival licensing scheme passed after the last event in 2019. Photograph: Regi Varghese/EPA

Splendour in the Grass, one of Australia’s largest outdoor music festivals, has been thrown into chaos, with changes to terms and conditions of entry made less than two weeks out from the event.

Young ticket holders for the 2022 festival – the first held in three years due to Covid-19 – learned on Monday that if they are under the age of 18, they must be accompanied by an adult at all times.