Organisers of a popular north-east Victorian music festival have been forced to cancel the event just days before it was due to begin, after a permit dispute with the local council.
The Folk, Rhythm and Life (FRL) festival was due to kick off on Friday at the Bilyana Natural Amphitheatre in Eldorado, near Wangaratta.
But organisers said parking and fire safety concerns had forced them to cancel the three-day event and refund 530 tickets valued at $110,000.
Festival director Hamish Skermer said he sought to amend the site plans allocated within the permit conditions to allow onsite parking and had flagged that with the Rural City of Wangaratta months in advance.
Hamish Skermer has been co-directing the festival for almost 30 years. (Supplied: Hamish Skermer)
“I was told that because I nominated to change from offsite parking to onsite parking on November 10, I hadn’t given them enough time,” he said.
“However, I was able to supply documentary evidence that I’d been raising it as a distinct option since September 15.”
Rural City of Wangaratta Mayor Irene Grant said the changes were submitted too late for proper assessment.
“All I can say at this stage is that we’re working through the permit conditions,” Cr Grant said.
“Some of the conditions had been changed at a late stage, so we need to work through those and ensure whatever needs to be in place is in place.”
Archie Roach played at the Folk, Rhythm and Life music festival in Eldorado before he died in 2022. (Supplied: Hamish Skermer)
Festival fire safety
Mr Skermer said he believed the parking issue was not the only factor.
He said concerns raised by the Country Fire Authority (CFA) may also have influenced the council’s decision, despite the fire authority not attending the site.
“In fact, we’ve been cut out by the CFA, who’ve written to us and said they will not engage with us at all,” Mr Skermer said.
CFA Assistant Chief Fire Officer Stewart Kreltszheim confirmed the CFA had provided advice to council about the festival’s event management plan, off the back of similar concerns in 2023.
“CFA raised concerns about details relating to fires, emergency access and crowd safety, particularly during the Fire Danger Period,” he said.
“While emergency services do not issue event permits, our advice is always based on the protection of human life.
“We commend the Rural City of Wangaratta for making a difficult decision in the interest of public safety.”
Mr Skermer said the cancellation of the event, which had been running since 1996, would have a significant impact on the local economy.
“All the caterers, buses and supply chains — that’s money no longer being spent in Wangaratta and surrounds,” he said.
“It’s a huge injection of cash into the community that meets all the requirements of tourism development, and quite frankly it really is a disgrace.”
The festival has been held at the at the Bilyana Natural Amphitheatre since 1996. (Supplied: Hamish Skermer)
Artists gutted
It was not the first time this year that a regional Victorian music festival had been cancelled due to local council planning concerns.
In March, the Esoteric Festival in the tiny town of Donald was called off at the 11th hour after 8,000 tickets had been sold.
The “doof” event brought in an estimated $15 million to the community and was its main annual source of income.
Musicians and long-time FRL festival supporters said this week’s decition had left them devastated.
Performer Sarah Carroll, who has been involved since the festival’s inception, told ABC Statewide Mornings her family had been preparing for months.
“Our sons had organised their bands to come up and play,” she said.
“The boys have been coming to the festival since they were babies.
“We’re all dreadfully disappointed and really sad that this change has happened at such a late stage.”
Liv Cartledge was scheduled to perform at the festival. (Supplied: Liv Cartledge)
Beechworth singer-songwriter Liv Cartledge said she was “gutted” for artists, volunteers and the community.
“It’s unbelievable this could happen at such a late stage,” she said.
“But it’s a tale as old as time — this isn’t the first time a local council has made it hard for the arts community to thrive.”
The festival was cancelled in 2023 due to concerns over fire risks.
She said FRL had long been “unmatched” in the region’s music scene.
“Artists from all over come to Eldorado for FRL,” she said.
“It’s been one of those ongoing opportunities for musicians that is now not going ahead.”
Mr Skermer said he hoped to reschedule the event.