Police forced to break up music event on one of Sydney’s most popular beaches in breach of COVID-19 restrictions
- Beach party with almost 200 people had to be broken up by police in Maroubra
- Sydney Drummers organised the event on Sunday but huge crowds showed up
- Concerned residents contacted police to report the mass gathering
A music event attended by more than 200 people at one of Sydney’s most popular beaches was shut down by police before a man was fined $1,000 for breaching COVID-19 restrictions.
The gathering, organised by Sydney Drummers, saw 200 people pack onto Mistral Point in Maroubra, south east of Sydney, on Sunday.
The event organiser Curt Alchemy said the gathering was designed to ‘celebrate life’ during the pandemic.
A social media post advertising the event read: ‘Despite the strict totalitarian rule in Victoria we chose to celebrate our lives here in Sydney, as the way God intended,’
A mass musical gathering (pictured) at a beach in Maroubra, south east of Sydney had to be broken up by police after it breached COVID-19 restrictions after attracting almost 200 people
Nearby residents called police after seeing the party grow before officers arrived at about 6pm.
‘Officers spoke with a 33-year-old man who was one of the organisers of the event,’ a NSW Police spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia.
‘Police were able to disperse the crowd without incident.
NSW Police issued the 33-year-old man with a $1000 fine on Monday for failing to comply with COVID-19 regulations.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted the event organisers for comment.
According to NSW Health regulations no more than 20 people are allowed to gather outside in a public place.
The beach party came as NSW recorded five new coronavirus cases and one death since the last reporting date on August 15.
The latest figures bring the NSW death toll to 54 and the total number of cases to 3,761.
Three of the five are connected to the Tangara School for Girls cluster, which has so far been linked to 25 cases in total, in Cherrybrook in Sydney’s northwest.
Investigations are ongoing into the two other cases, including a man in his 40s, from western Sydney, and a close contact of the man.
The source of infection is currently unknown.
The event was organised by Sydney Drumming founder Curt Alchemy (pictured centre) who said it was designed to ‘celebrate our lives; here in Sydney, as the way god intended’