Hugely anticipated NSW New Years festival Lost Paradise has just been cancelled due to bushfire risks.
absolutely insane that lost paradise has to be cancelled because of the fires – totally a good call on their part but so disappointing for so many people 😕
— Georgia Griffiths (@georgiajgriff) 12 December 2019
Taking to Facebook this morning, the festival organisers explained that they were working with Rural Fire Services to figure something out, but it’s just too dangerous to hold a festival in catastrophic bushfire conditions and they don’t want to risk any lives.
“Our beautiful home in Sydney’s Central Coast is facing intense and unpredictable fire conditions that are sadly expected to deteriorate in the coming days. We simply cannot put anyone’s life at risk. We have been working around the clock to explore all possible options to relocate the festival, but it is just not feasible within the timeframe,” they said on Facebook.
All ticket-holders are entitled to refunds, and Lost Paradise is working on getting that done as smoothly as possible.
You can read the full statement below.
The Bushfires Ravaging Australia
Lost Paradise is the second music festival to be cancelled this year because of bushfire concerns, after Subsonic was postponed for similar reasons.
The bushfires don’t seem to be slowing down, with air quality in all of NSW being many times over “hazardous levels.”
The PM is in Sydney on worst smoke day we’ve had – smoke alarms being set off in commerical buildings, daycares and schools not letting children outside, 5 million people can’t breathe properly.
His presser is on the religious discrimination bill— Bridie Jabour (@bkjabour) 9 December 2019
Former Australian Fire Chiefs have banded together to call upon the government to create be more active and listen to experts in stopping climate change driven fires and support firefighters, but Scott Morrison has refused to give volunteer firefighters compensation or aid, or even really acknowledge the crisis we are in. Which is unsurprising considering the role the government has played in stoking the fires.
Image Sources: Twitter, Lost Paradise Facebook.
