Byron Bay’s beloved Splendor in the Grass has been nicknamed ‘Fyre Festival 2.0’ as frustrated revelers are forced to sleep in their cars while waiting to get in, and torrential rains leave the site in a mud puddle.
The music festival in northern NSW kicks off on Friday, but countless people made the trip to the North Byron Parklands on Thursday to pitch their tents.
But because the ground was completely soaked and there was a lack of staff, the majority of people passing through had to queue in their cars for up to 12 hours with no indication of whether they would make it.
The event organizers are outraged by attendees — who spent $400 to go — saying they haven’t gotten any updates while they wait.
Several people said they had to sleep in their cars on the side of the road because the mud made camping impossible.
Byron Bay’s beloved Splendor in the Grass has been dubbed ‘Fyre Festival 2.0’ as frustrated revelers are forced to sleep in their cars while waiting to get in and torrential rains leave the site in a mud puddle
A reveler’s tent is seen completely soaked from the torrential rain
Others waited two hours for a bus to take them to the main festival site, but when it finally arrived, they were told the bus was no longer running.
Footage shared on social media shows the grounds covered in thick mud, with those lucky enough to get in and film their tents completely soaked.
While many have pulled brave faces and are still trying to enjoy the festival, others have wondered why it could go on at all.
A festival-goer Steph told Daily Mail Australia it was ‘Fyre Festival 2.0’, referring to Billy McFarland’s failed event in the Bahamas, which was portrayed as a luxury festival but ended up being a complete sham.
Steph and her friends had driven down the Gold Coast on Thursday to queue for nine hours on their way to Splendor.
Due to the wet weather, participants were unable to enter the campsites to set up their tents
After waiting three and a half hours, her car reached the front gate, but there was still no sign of getting in.
“We asked another staff member what to do and she said ‘I don’t know’ and that she would finish hours ago, but nobody told her anything,” Steph said.
“She was so cold and wet, she had a hot water bottle in her hand and the volunteers and staff were not offered any food. We offered one of the volunteers Pringle’s and honestly he was so happy.’
The group arrived in line at 3:30 PM, but by 1:30 AM they still had no updates from the organizers as to whether they would make it to the area to set up their tents.
They eventually decided to drive back to the Gold Coast.
“People only hear about how bad it is through the Splendor In The Grass 2022 page set up by people attending the festival,” Steph said.
No official communication other than their latest story on Instagram and Facebook stating there are delays and the show will go ahead “rain, hail or shine.”
Walking to the front of the line, which was just a mile away, Steph said many gamblers had already opted to sleep the night in their cars.
Many wrote on the event’s Facebook page how they couldn’t get through
A resident said the event had also caused major problems for people in the area
One of them said their cars almost ran out of gas after waiting in the car for nine hours
She said she met another group of people who told her that the campgrounds were flooded and no one else could get in.
“Police also said they have NO idea what is going on and cannot help,” she added.
A marquee was set up in the camping areas for those who had soaked their gear.
“I went there and this one girl was so soaked she was shivering and holding her things. It turned out that her campsite was completely flooded and so the volunteers put her in this tent with other flood-affected people, so it was a small flood evacuation center,” Steph said.
“She said they just told her to wait until 9am (keep in mind it’s almost 2am) because that’s the first shuttle to take her back to her car.
Another girl had no shoes on because all her belongings got flooded and she was told she couldn’t get back to her car because it was stuck. So she’s just so wet, she’s in a soggy tent.’
Even the volunteers wanted to leave the festival.
“I asked this volunteer how we could get out and she said, ‘You’re making the right decision, I wish I could come with you, but we’ve all decided to stay and help where we can,’” Steph said.
“I spoke to the guards on the way out and they were super concerned about people, which was so nice. And the volunteers and staff in general were so nice.
“As we reached the exit, this one employee asked what we would do and I said we were driving home and maybe take a bus tomorrow. She said that might not be an option as some shuttle buses took seven hours to get in!’
Steph and her buddies have now given up camping and will travel from Palm Beach to Byron every day.
A volunteer had worked until 4 a.m. and said her next shift would begin at 8 a.m.
Pictured is the huge line of cars trying to reach the festival
Organizers have said they are working to resolve the issues.
‘We’re extending entry times to our campsites at NBP tonight, so if you’re in line, we’ll get you in. Please wait – we hear from you,” the event wrote on its Facebook page late Thursday night.
“The weather and staff shortages were all worse than expected.
“We’ll do our best – the show will go on rain, hail or shine.”
But many pointed out that the organizers had three years to hire staff, as the festival had been canceled since 2020.
Others wondered why the event would continue, as the northern rivers had been ravaged by flooding in recent months.
Locals have also felt the pain, with many saying that a short trip has turned into an hour-long commute.
‘Absolutely a joke! Months of flooding and heavy rain and you couldn’t plan it? And not all the staff are helpful, the traffic control at the campsite separated us from our friends in the car in front of us, even though we told them we were together after 4 hours in traffic. Their response was ‘it’s a big festival, you’ll see each other there,’ someone wrote on the Facebook page.
“My friends spent a total of 18 hours in the car, 9 hours in line to get in. Their friend had to be started and they are running out of fuel. What should they do? Park on the highway and camp there when their tanks are empty? No way to get in or out.. they can’t even drive off to a motel with no gas and no way to leave the line. This is a major security issue! ‘ said another.
“How do we leave the campsite, we are parked on the campsite roads and have been told to sleep in our cars tonight. The festival has turned into s**t and should be cancelled. Ridiculous,” wrote a third.
‘It’s not just festival-goers who are furious. I’m a local trying to get home from a long day at work. Four hours in traffic for a ride I normally take 15 minutes,” said a local.
The Bunnings Warehouse in Ballina is also reportedly sold out with rubber boots.
Splendor in the Grass has been approached for comment.