Australian music festival Splendour in the Grass has been called “catastrophic” by ticket-holders after extreme weather impacted event conditions.
After a two-year hiatus due to Covid-19, the annual event returned to Byron Bay, New South Wales this weekend. It took place over three days: Friday (22 July) to Sunday (24 July).
Gorillaz, The Strokes, and US rapper Tyler the Creator were set to headline.
Extreme weather conditions, however, quickly made it clear to attendees that this year would not be a typical Splendour.
In a statement posted to Splendour’s social media channels, festival organisers announced they had cancelled performances on its main stages on Friday (22 July). Effected acts included Gorillaz, as well as Kacey Musgraves, and The Avalanches.
Splendour has informed concertgoers affected directly by the cancellation that they will be contacted for information on refunds.
Although day two went ahead, festival-goers reported flooded campsites and huge queues.
Posting to TikTok, people shared videos of their washed out campgrounds, with a thick layer of water encompassing the grounds. Videos also depicted intense winds.
Social media users also reported extremely long wait times for pre-paid bus transportation to and from the festival site, with some claiming they waited for over four hours to exit the event.
Many people drew comparisons between Splendour to the disastrous Fyre Festival in April 2017. The luxury music event founded by con-artist Billy McFarland and rapper Ja Rule was a notorious failure, becoming the subject of two documentaries.
The Independent has contacted a representative of Splendour for comment.
