The splendor in Grass camping rely on tractors, each other to get cars out of the wetlands
A tractor had started to free cars stuck in a Splendor at Grass campsite, as the last festival goers left the event after days of muddy conditions, canceled stunts and controversy over bus waiting times.
Key points:
- The site was flooded and the first day of music was canceled after heavy rain
- The local mayor said the number of festival-goers should not be increased
- Festival returns this year after a hiatus due to the COVID pandemic
People were turned away and the campsite, near Byron Bay in northern NSW, was flooded ahead of the first day of music, which was eventually cancelled.
Days two and three — Saturday and Sunday — went on, but there were delays for those wanting to go home. Now, only those in the muddy camp remained.
Lani Shepardson was one of several people whose vehicle had to be rescued by a combination of people pushing and pulling the tractor before she could start driving home to Adelaide.
“It was a bit stressful; we had a plane to chase and we were worried we wouldn’t get there, but we got help doing the initial jump and some help getting out of the swamp as well,” he said. .
Others, including Melbourne’s Daniel Wicki, rely on each other and “team work”.
“We really have to help each other,” he said.
He said regardless of the experience, he would consider attending the festival again next year.
Festival participant Ewan Roxborgh estimates about “50 percent of the cars here need to be pushed out”.
Mr Roxborgh said he and his friends arrived on Thursday at 3pm to try and break into the camp.
At 3am on Friday, he and hundreds of others pitched their tents at the North Byron Parklands Day Car Park, which was turned into a campsite at the last minute.
“People just got stuck and there was no way we’d ever get up to camp, and this was the best we could have had,” he said.
Mud in parts of the low-lying area remained ankle-deep throughout the festival, after the area flooded on Thursday night.
The lucky few had slept in their cars, with broken tents and gazebos strewn across the lawn. Others, with no other choice, have braved the wet and muddy conditions.
Sarah Shin from Wollongong, south of Sydney, said once the festival got underway it was “very fun”, but she didn’t expect to find out how she would escape the muddy site.
“I’m a little worried,” he said.
“I have to talk to my friends about that. I have a feeling everyone … will try and get out as soon as possible, so we’ll see.”
‘I won’t go again’
The Splendor in the Grass Festival is back this year after a hiatus due to the COVID pandemic.
It’s an exciting time for festival lovers, who have been able to see popular international and local shows like The Strokes, Tyler, the Creator, The Avalanches and Liam Gallagher.
Festival capacity at North Byron Parklands has been increased from 35,000 people to 50,000, meaning more tickets were sold this year.
But as the festival got into full swing on Saturday, cracks began to show, Brisbane resident Eliza Hamdorf told the ABC.
“This is my fourth Splendor and it has never been like this,” he said.
“It’s very noticeable that the capacity is increasing … we do squats because the queues for the toilets are very long.”
He said after waiting 4.5 hours to get the bus back to his accommodation on Saturday night, he didn’t get into bed until 6:30 a.m. on Sunday and decided not to return on the third day of the festival.
“There was a girl in front of me who couldn’t stop throwing up,” Hamdorf said.
“We called someone to bring us water, [but were] completely ignored.
“One person near me fainted and we called the medics, [saying,] ‘We need medics,’ and no one.
“Splendidness is my favorite festival, but after this year I won’t be going again.”
Organizers of Splendor in the Grass issued a statement on Sunday morning acknowledging the situation and expressing “sincere apologies”.
Ticket holders took to the festival’s social media pages to express their frustration, flooding Instagram and Facebook with claims of “gaslighting”, accusations of “no occupational health and safety” and organizers “disgusting and grossly unprepared”.
Organizers of the Splendor in the Grass Festival did not respond to questions from ABC News on Sunday about their event management.
Byron Shire Mayor Michael Lyon told the ABC there were many lessons to be learned from the event.
He blamed the situation on the state government and its decision to increase the number of people allowed to attend by 43 percent.
“I’ve never really supported the hike, but it has nothing to do with us,” Lyon said.
“The approval was executed through an independent planning authority from the point of view of the state government.
“Given the years we had, I think [the wet conditions were] … is rather predictable.”
In a statement to the ABC, the Fair Trade NSW Department said “consumers who are dissatisfied with the results are encouraged to contact Fair Trade NSW for assistance”.
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