Splendour in the Grass
| Splendour in the Grass | |
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| Genre | Indie rock, hip hop, electronic, alternative |
| Dates | Late July - early August |
| Location(s) |
Australia
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| Years active | 2001 - present |
Splendour in the Grass is an Australian music festival that has been held annually since 2001. The festival has been held near Byron Bay, New South Wales for all but two years since its inauguration. In 2010 and 2011, the festival was held in Woodford, Queensland, while organisers made an effort to gain support for a new location at North Byron Parklands at Yelgun (30 km from Byron Bay). The event returned to Byron Bay in 2012, when it was held at Belongil Fields.[1][2] The 2013 festival was the first to be held at the new North Byron Parklands location, to much controversy from festival goers and the local community.
The festival was jointly created and promoted by the Village Sounds Agency and Secret Service music companies, and began in 2001 as a one-day gathering to cater for Australia's winter season (a period that had traditionally been associated with very few events of this nature); the festival evolved into a two-day event in 2002. As of 2014, the capacity of the three-day festival is 30,000 and it is considered the country's largest winter music festival. The festival was awarded the FasterLouder Festival Award for 'Favourite Line Up' in 2009.[3] "Ode: Intimations of Immortality", by English poet William Wordsworth, was the inspiration for the naming of the event.[4]
Splendour in the Grass has attracted notable revellers such as Elon Musk and Amber Heard.[5]
Ticketing issues
2005
Tickets for the 2005 festival were sold out within 11 hours and, soon after, festival tickets that initially cost A$125 were offered on eBay at inflated prices of up to A$3000. The festival organisers responded by sending "cease and desist" letters to eBay, as well as around 150 ticket resellers, citing a breach of the conditions of sale. However, eBay refused to block the ticket auctions, claiming it was the seller's responsibility to ensure that they have the ability and right to sell products. The Triple J radio station encouraged its listeners to sabotage the bidding process and fake bids of up to A$10,000 were consequently listed on eBay by protesters opposed to ticket scalping.[6]
Following media coverage, the NSW Department of Fair Trading became involved and met with eBay representatives. The then-Fair Trading Minister John Hatzistergos instructed the Office of Fair Trading to investigate the reselling of tickets and determine whether resellers were in breach of the Fair Trading Act. Festival promoters hoped that the investigation would eventually lead to the introduction of anti-ticket scalping legislation.
2006
In response to the events of 2005, the organisers altered the ticketing system for the 2006 festival. In an unprecedented action, ticket buyers were required to register their name and date of birth at the time of purchase. These details were then printed on the event tickets and valid identification was required to gain admission into the festival. Tickets to the 2006 festival went on sale at 9am on Monday 15 May 2006—all camping tickets sold out within three hours, and all general admission tickets sold out after 48 hours.
2008
Festival organisers encountered difficulties with the ticketing system provided by the Qjump company in 2008, as consumers were unable to purchase tickets following lengthy delays.[7] Qjump later issued an apology on the festival's Internet forum.
Venue issues
For a once-only trial, the organisers obtained permission to stage the 2009 Splendour in the Grass at a site in Yelgun. However, the consent provided to the organisers was the subject of a challenge by a group of residents, environmentalist and the Environmental Defenders Office of NSW, who presented their case in the New South Wales Land and Environment Court. The Chief Judge of the Land and Environment Court, Justice Brian Preston, ruled that Byron Shire Council had exceeded its powers by granting the development consent where the land included parts zoned for conservation purposes. The development consent was ruled invalid, prohibiting the festival from being held at the Yelgun site.[8] As a consequence of the decision, the festival remained at the Belongil site in 2009.[9]
In 2016 many attendees were forced to walk from the venue or sleep in the mud due to a lack of transport.[10]
Artist lineups by year
2001
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2002
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2003
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2004
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2005
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2006
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2007
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2008
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2009
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2010
2011
2012
2013
- Lorde replaced Frank Ocean, who withdrew from the lineup due to health issues
2014
- Two Door Cinema Club withdrew from the lineup and were replaced by UK outfit Foals.[11]
- London Grammar withdrew from the lineup due to illness and were replaced by The Presets.[12]
2015
- Catfish And The Bottlemen withdrew from the lineup just two days from the festival's start due to illness and were replaced with DZ Deathrays.
- Allday withdrew from the lineup just hours before he was scheduled to perform due to a family emergency.
2016
- Friday, 22 July
| Amphitheatre | Mix Up Stage | GW McLennan Tent | Tiny Dancer Stage |
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- Saturday, 23 July
| Amphitheatre | Mix Up Stage | GW McLennan Tent | Tiny Dancer Stage |
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- Sunday, 24 July
| Amphitheatre | Mix Up Stage | GW McLennan Tent | Tiny Dancer Stage |
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2017
- Friday, 21 July
| Amphitheatre | Mix Up Stage | GW McLennan Tent | Tiny Dancer Stage |
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- Saturday, 22 July
| Amphitheatre | Mix Up Stage | GW McLennan Tent | Tiny Dancer Stage |
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- Sunday, 23 July
| Amphitheatre | Mix Up Stage | GW McLennan Tent | Tiny Dancer Stage |
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- George Ezra who was originally scheduled for Friday the 21st withdrew from the lineup, moving Peking Duk to the Friday and extending both LCD Soundsystem's & Sigur Ros' set times on Sunday the 23rd
2018
- Chromeo withdrew from the lineup due to health issues and were replaced with The Presets.
References
- ↑ Feeney, Katherine (10 February 2012). "Splendour in the Grass returning home to Byron Bay". Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
- ↑ Consequence of Sound (2007–2011). "Splendour in the Grass 2012". Festival Outlook. Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
- ↑ fasterlouder.com.au (2009). "Festival Awards 2009". fasterlouder.com.au. FasterLouder Pty Ltd. Archived from the original on 8 August 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2012.
- ↑ Consequence of Sound (2007–2011). "Splendour in the Grass 2010". Festival Outlook. Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
- ↑ "Amber, Elon get cosy at Splendour". Retrieved 2017-11-08.
- ↑ Murray, Lisa (2005-05-13). "Music fans bombard scalpers on website". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2009-05-01.
- ↑ AAP (23 May 2008). "Fans angry over Splendour in the Grass ticket problem". news.com.au. News Limited. Retrieved 26 August 2012.
- ↑ Land and Environment Court of New South Wales (6 May 2009). "Conservation of North Ocean Shores Inc v Byron Shire Council & Ors [2009] NSWLEC 69". Land and Environment Court of New South Wales. NSW Attorney General and Justice. Archived from the original on 4 August 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2012.
- ↑ JackT (22 April 2009). "Splendour In The Grass 2009 line-up". inthemix. inthemix Pty Ltd. Retrieved 26 August 2012.
- ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/jul/23/splendour-in-the-grass-but-no-sign-of-the-bus-at-the-end-of-the-show
- ↑ "Splendour 2014: Two Door out, Foals in". triple j. ABC. 17 July 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
- ↑ Prue Thomas (22 July 2014). "London Grammar pull out of Splendour in the Grass!". moshtix. moshtix Pty Ltd. Retrieved 31 July 2014.