It was renamed Splendour in the Mud as images from the North Byron Parklands began circulating the internet at a rapid pace — almost as fast as patrons began to regret their festival decisions.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
But for the News’ Georgia Rossiter, though it threw a curveball (or five), it was a weekend to remember.
The annual Splendour in the Grass festival was a highly anticipated event by live music lovers across the nation and, for some, around the globe, after two years of cancellations.
What unfolded was the stuff of festival nightmares.
The grounds became enveloped in mud, punters knee-deep in the flooded parklands were left drenched, dirty and in disarray after shelling out hundreds of dollars only for the first day of the four-day festival to be cancelled.
Was it to be expected? The forecast had warned patrons Byron Bay was set to be wet, but not to the extent of the severe weather that struck the festival.
Georgia admits she was among the luckier ones.
“I didn’t expect the situation,” she said with a laugh.
“I expected it to be kind of rainy and bad weather, but I didn’t expect it to be as bad as it was.
“Overall, I think me and my friends were kind of excited just to be there, so we were very positive the whole time.”
Her trip began the way many others’ did — Georgia and her friends piled into her Holden Astra packed with a multitude of camping supplies and a positive attitude.
Getting into the festival, they encountered their first setback — a five-hour wait in line.
But it wasn’t enough to shake their spirits.
“We kind of just dealt with it, we complained but not that much,“ she said with a laugh.
“It wasn’t like the grimmest night of our lives or anything like that, and we ended up getting into the campground at about 9pm.
“We were so lucky compared to others; some people got in the line half an hour after us and were in their cars until around the next day, they had to sleep in their cars.”
Many campers faced up to a 12-hour wait just to enter or were turned away to another camping location and offered a shuttle service to festival grounds.
While the festival released a statement on the first day cancelling acts, including headliners Gorillaz and The Avalanches, Georgia said there was radio silence from organisers on the ground.
Rumours started to circulate among confused punters, with festival security also unsure, relaying different truths — some said it was cancelled for the day, others the entire weekend.
Finally a statement was posted on social media confirming the first day was canned.
After a pandemic of missing out and experiencing years of no events and not being able to see friends, Georgia and her group rallied on.
“People were making the most of it, even though the weather was bad and there was mud everywhere,” she said.
Once nightfall hit, like thousands of others, Georgia was met with a soggy night’s sleep but even worse, an ego hit as a camper.
The group had laid layers of tarp to keep the rain at bay but nevertheless, the downfall got the better of them and seeped through said tarps, tent, swag and mattress.
“My friend lent me his sleeping bag, so that kept the damp at bay, but the next morning I had to do some emergency swag repairs,” she said.
As the rain subsided and the bands played on, the festival still wasn’t the anticipated Instagrammable hotspot of sweeping plains and bright outfits, but it brought out a side of punters Georgia hadn’t previously encountered.
After four days of complete uncertainty with hours in transport delays, mud up to the ears, camping gear destroyed and cars being bogged only the half of it, Georgia said the hard times and bad weather brought people together.
“There was such a sense of camaraderie, especially for people who were camping,” she said.
“I think that was the real takeaway for me.
“Everyone was so much kinder than they normally were, so it was really nice to see.“
Georgia looks back on the event with a fond reflection and a lesson going into future festivals.
“Just roll with the punches,” she said.
“With festivals all the time, it’s not going to be a picture perfect day, it’s going to have its ups and downs.
“So I would just stay positive, just have fun, just make the most of it because you paid a lot of money to be there.
“And I get that’s frustrating for people but in my experience, it was still worth it.“
∎ Caitlyn Grant and Megan Fisher are opening the conversation for young people on all things from mental health to success stories in their weekly column, Let’s Talk. If you or someone you know has a story, contact caitlyn.grant@mmg.com.au or megan.fisher@sheppnews.com.au
Shepparton News journalist