The highly anticipated Splendour in the Grass festival has recently announced a new set of rules for underage ticket goers, most likely posing a barrier to some eager ticket holders.
The music festival tweeted that all ticket holders under 18 must be accompanied by a responsible adult at all times while on the event grounds.
This new development propagated by NSW police - regarding a liquor license policy previously relating to event patrons under the age of 16 - has been extended instead to all under 18 year olds.
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Police said they will be roaming the festival grounds and enforcing fines to those who don’t comply.
This was outlined in an email sent to all under 18 year old ticket holders, which read: "We appreciate that this is not ideal, we are not happy about this late change however we must adhere to these new conditions imposed on us by the Police and Liquor and Gaming.
"Police will be present at the event, roaming throughout the crowd checking that underage minors are with a responsible adult."
To add insult to injury, no more extra tickets will be made available for ‘accompanying responsible adults’ to purchase.
Splendour in the Grass has instead urged people to buy through re-sale sites, which will probably be at grossly inflated prices.
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This development has sparked a debate on social media about the age responsibility in young people attending festivals, and at which age should they be trusted to self-supervise.
Not only this, but NSW Police has been experiencing backlash too.
Some have argued that the government and police force are perpetuating a vendetta towards live music and festivals, after they were halted during Covid-19 restrictions.
With a myriad of ticket holders eagerly awaiting the headlining performances of Gorillaz, Tyler the Creator and The Strokes, among many other noteworthy acts, Splendour in the Grass underage festival goers find themselves in an awkward situation just days before the festival is meant to begin.
Maggie Stoner