It’s been a rough couple of days for the folks at Falls Festival. Everything was running smoothly until a bushfire – that had already ravaged the Victorian countryside – posed a threat on the Lorne leg of the festival, and things looked really grim indeed for the fate of it. However, with a very last minute location change, everything was back on track at the much safer location at Mount Duneed Estate, but they didn’t forget about the site they left behind.
After announcing a special $99 ticket for New Year’s Eve at the new location, the festival went on to sell out the allocated 1,200 tickets in less than 24 hours. All proceeds are going to the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, and will go towards helping those affected by the Christmas Day fires, which saw 116 homes destroyed, in the Surf Coast region.
Penny Harrison, Australian Red Cross Executive Director for Victoria, said, “The money donated will go to support Red Cross Disaster Relief and Recovery work with the communities affected by the catastrophic Surf Coast bushfires.”
It is expected that the Lorne site will be hit with 40+ degree temperatures, and the town itself is expected to be evacuated because it is too high risk. Jessica Ducrou, Falls Festival Co-Producer, said, “We will continue to work with residents, councils and local businesses to do everything we can to help get our community back on its feet.”
It should also be noted that all round good guys Dune Rats and Courtney Barnett have made separate appeals for the Red Cross Fund, and have decided to donate all profits from merch sold at the VIC festival. Barnett is splitting her profits between Red Cross and the Jirrahlinga Koala and Wildlife Sanctuary.
Falls Festival:
Lorne (Relocated to Mount Duneed Estate), VIC
Dec 28, 2015-Jan 01, 2016
Marion Bay, TAS
Dec 29, 2015- Jan 01, 2016
Byron Bay, NSW
Dec 31, 2015 – Jan 03, 2016
Details here