Falls Festival at Lorne cancelled due to extreme weather conditions

With temperatures in the area forecast to reach 40C as of Monday (30th December) the Falls Festival in Lorne has been cancelled due to extreme heat and ongoing bushfire threats.

The Festival, which began yesterday (Saturday 28th December), was set to continue until New Year’s Eve and around 9,000 attendees are already camping on site.

The Falls Festival is held on private land 142 kilometres west of Melbourne, surrounded by bushland and ringed by the Great Otway National Park. Congestion from festival goers trying to leave on a single dirt track means it takes hours for the campground to clear at the end of a normal festival.

In a statement released this morning (Sunday 29th December), the organisers of the long-running New Year’s Eve festival advised that conditions were too dangerous to go ahead.

The statement advised “it is with a heavy heart we have had to cancel the remaining days of the Falls Festival in Lorne due to the predicted extreme weather conditions forecast for Monday December 30th in the Otways and surrounding region, creating a risk to health and safety due to potential fires, smoke, severe winds and tree hazards.

“The decision has not been made lightly. Our patron and staff safety is our priority.”

Organisers of the festival noted that the weather forecast had become “significantly worse in the past 12 hours with information coming to light that has not been available to us before the event kicked off on December 28th.

“After consultation with local and regional fire authorities and other emergency stakeholders, it is clear that we have no other option.

“While conditions are fine at time of writing, we are taking the opportunity to move everyone offsite safely and in good time.

“For those 9,000 currently staying onsite we ask you calmly pack up your campsite and return to your place of origin. There is no need to rush. Please ensure you have a sober driver.”

Gates to the Lorne festival will close at 9am Monday 30th December.

Jessica Ducrou, co-Chief Execuitve of Festival organiser Secret Sounds, added “we are gutted to make this call but the safety of our patrons, artists and staff is our main priority. We would like to thank our regional emergency management team, Surf Coast Council, SES, Police and CFA for their support and advice during this time.

“We would also like to thank our Falls family who work year round and over the last few weeks who have put their heart and soul into Falls Lorne, we are forever grateful. Please take care getting home safely.”

The fire danger for all Victoria, except for the north-east and east Gippsland, which are not as severely in drought, is extreme on Monday. The rating for the north-east and east Gippsland is severe.

Organisers have advised that the three-day festivals in Marion Bay in Tasmania, Byron Bay in New South Wales, and Fremantle in WA, remain unaffected.

Tickets for the Lorne festival will be refunded.