Beyond the Valley slammed for long queues in extreme heat

A Victorian music festival has been dubbed ‘Fyre Festival 2.0’ after revellers waited in 43C heat for up to nine hours just to get in.

Beyond the Valley festival has been slammed for the monster queues that stretched for kilometres outside Lardner Park near Warragul, in south-east Victoria, on Sunday. 

Some fans were concerned the festival would be cancelled once they were finally allowed in – but organisers have now confirmed the ‘show will go on’ despite extreme weather conditions.

A favourable shift in wind patterns has allowed the festival to continue operating as usual after a hiccup on Monday which saw the main stage closed at midday.

It wasn’t supposed to open again until 8pm, but organisers confirmed on Monday afternoon the five-day extravaganza is again running on schedule.

Beyond the Valley festival has been slammed for the monster queues (pictured) that stretched for kilometres outside Lardner Park near Warragul, in south-east Victoria, throughout Sunday

Festival organisers have also been slammed for their handling of the extreme weather that is currently affecting Victoria

Festival organisers have also been slammed for their handling of the extreme weather that is currently affecting Victoria

More than 15,000 revellers are expected to attend the five-day Beyond the Valley festival

More than 15,000 revellers are expected to attend the five-day Beyond the Valley festival

Some attendees said the delay combined with the lines to get in were enough to make them want to go home.

‘They are saying they might not have acts on the main stage until 8pm,’ one reveller wrote on Twitter. ‘I just wanna go home at this point.’ 

Others described the entire event as a ‘farce’. 

Festival organisers claimed the delays to enter the premises were no fault of their own – instead blaming Victoria Police for searching an increased amount of cars hunting for illicit drugs. 

But they’ve also been criticised for their handling of the extreme weather that is currently ravaging Victoria, with a mix of 42C temperatures and 45km/h winds which caused chaos on Monday.

Annoyed festival goers posted pictures of the massive queues of cars outside the Beyond the Valley campground on Sunday

Annoyed festival goers posted pictures of the massive queues of cars outside the Beyond the Valley campground on Sunday

A combination of 42C temperatures and 45km/h winds is set to wreak havoc on the festival on Monday

A combination of 42C temperatures and 45km/h winds is set to wreak havoc on the festival on Monday

Event organisers warned they may close stages if winds are too extreme, in a bid to ensure the safety of all patrons

Event organisers warned they may close stages if winds are too extreme, in a bid to ensure the safety of all patrons

In a post on their Facebook page, Beyond the Valley organisers informed visitors on how to best combat the severe weather conditions.

‘Due to the predicted high winds we ask you now make it a priority to secure tents, external structures and belongings,’ the post read.

‘Take down everything else including marquees, extra shade cloth, inflatables and anything else in your campground.

‘Seek shade during the peak heat of the day tomorrow. Shelter in the safety of your campsite while we wait out this extreme weather.’

Festival organisers came under fire from some revellers for their planning, while others said if those in attendance had of checked the weather forecast and packed appropriately they would not have had any issues

Festival organisers came under fire from some revellers for their planning, while others said if those in attendance had of checked the weather forecast and packed appropriately they would not have had any issues

Festival workers handed out free bottles of water throughout the day to keep people hydrated.

But their advice – particularly suggestions about taking down shade cloths and other ‘external structures’ – caused outrage among attendees.

‘Brilliant advice from the BTV geniuses: “Shelter in the safety of your campsite while we wait out this extreme weather”… Because tents are such an oasis of cool when it’s 43 degrees outside,’ one reveller wrote.

‘Where do you expect people to find shade in these “testing conditions” if they have to take down their marquees?’ another asked. 

‘Falls did the right thing by cancelling. The organisers of this event should be ashamed,’ wrote one partygoer.

The extreme weather proved too much for Bachelor contestant Florence Alexandras (pictured)

She posted on Instagram on Monday morning that she was leaving the event early

The extreme weather proved too much for Bachelor contestant Florence Alexandras (pictured) who posted on Instagram on Monday morning that she was leaving the event early

Florence posted this photo to Instagram just hours before she made the call to leave the music festival on Monday

Florence posted this photo to Instagram just hours before she made the call to leave the music festival on Monday

‘Just a heads up it took us almost nine hours to get to our campsite and we arrived at 8am.’ 

But not all were out to vent their anger at festival organisers, with some claiming that those in attendance should have checked the weather forecast.

‘BTV thanks for the heads up, actually had such a great day yesterday and unlike a lot of people I checked the weather before I came and brought enough necessities to keep me cool,’ one man wrote. 

The extreme weather proved too much for Bachelor contestant Florence Alexandras, who left the event early on Monday morning.

Beyond the Valley has been running since 2014 and has greatly increased its attendance over recent years

Beyond the Valley has been running since 2014 and has greatly increased its attendance over recent years

In a statement posted on Facebook, Beyond the Valley organisers apologised for the delays but insisted they were unavoidable

In a statement posted on Facebook, Beyond the Valley organisers apologised for the delays but insisted they were unavoidable

‘Ok plot twist. Going to get out of here today due to extreme heat and other reasons so need alternative plans,’ she posted on Instagram.

Photos posted to social media showed massive lines of cars for kilometres outside the camp grounds.

Many of those in the queue missed out on the sets of stars like Owl Eyes, Meg Mac, Methyl Ethel and Skepta.  

In a statement posted on Facebook, Beyond the Valley organisers apologised for the delays but insisted they were unavoidable.

‘We sincerely apologise for the wait times, we processed everyone as fast as we could in today’s heat,’ the statement read.

The troubles plaguing Beyond the Valley come just days after Falls Festival at Lorne had to be cancelled because of a bushfire risk

The troubles plaguing Beyond the Valley come just days after Falls Festival at Lorne had to be cancelled because of a bushfire risk

‘Victoria Police are cracking down on festivals this summer and what that means is thorough searching of all vehicles to help keep everyone safe.

‘We know you all want to get in quickly and that’s what we want to but we ask that you please understand our team are working as fast as they possibly can.’ 

It comes just days after Falls Festival at Lorne, in Victoria’s south-west, was cancelled because of a bushfire threat.

More than 9,000 festival goers were forced to pack up their gear on Sunday and get out of the campground by no later than 9am on Monday.

A statewide total fire ban is currently in place in Victoria, with fires already raging in the state’s far east.

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