The first day of Splendor In The Grass has been canceled after extreme weather hit the New South Wales town of Byron Bay.
Splendor organizers were forced to reverse a notice sent to patrons around 11am saying the show would go on “rain, hail or shine” after the worst weather in the 20-year history of festival
Some festival-goers have expressed their disappointment at the cancellation, with one music lover calling the move “quite disgusting”.
“No rain for two hours,” festivalgoer Coen told 9news.com.au.
“But if the sound equipment is a problem, I can understand.”
An enforcement alert for Splendor in the Grass was canceled on Friday, just hours before the first day. (Supplied) Heavy rain left the festival grounds soaked. (9 News)
For Maggie and her friends, who flooded into the North Byron Parklands campsite before access was cut off, the cancellation of the first day is a huge blow.
“I’m very angry,” she said.
“The only thing we expected and they canceled it.
“It was the only thing that kept our spirits up.”
Mud and waters take down the first day of Splendor In The Grass
Kiarah said the “party is still going on” but added the organization has been “poor” this year and wants a partial refund, calling this morning’s notification a “lie”.
Jessica Ducrou, co-founder of the festival, assured attendees that refunds would be given due to the cancellation.
“Don’t worry, we will refund the pro rata amount of tickets for missing a day of events,” he said.
Campsites flooded at the festival. (Supplied) After heavy rains, the festival grounds turned to mud. (Supplied) Jessica Ducrou said it’s the worst weather the festival has seen. (9 News)
He acknowledged that this year’s weather is the worst the festival has experienced in its 20-year history.
Festival organizers have issued a statement regarding the decision to cancel performances on the main stages today.
“A major weather system is currently on the east coast and may make landfall later today and bring more rain,” the statement said.
“We have decided to err on the side of caution and cancel performances on the main stages today only: Amphitheater, Mix Up, GW McLennan and Park(lands) Stages.
“Day patrons are asked not to attend the festival today while we work on the repairs.
“Moshtix will be contacting affected ticket holders directly next week, via the email address used to purchase their ticket, for more information on refunds.
“We hope that Saturday and Sunday’s schedule will go ahead as planned.”
After organizers posted the statement on Facebook, commenters quickly began condemning the message.
Some expressed concern about the amount of money they had spent on flights and accommodation, while others asked for refunds.
Many music lovers had already arrived at the festival for the first day of the three-day event.
The main Splendor in the Grass campsite was flooded overnight. (Supplied)
Many people had bought camping tickets to stay at North Byron Parklands, but this was closed and attendees were redirected to Byron Events Farm.
Headliners such as Gorillaz, DMA’s, Yungblud and Avalanches were due to perform at the festival tonight.