Move over Burning Man and Coachella, Splendour in the Grass festival will be launching an interactive art installation for this year’s event.
Mambo’s Screaming Guitar stands at five metres high with a two metre-long tongue for festival-goers to slide down, while at night, the guitar’s eyes will light up and its neck will flash and flicker.
It’s just one attractions for the inaugural event that runs over this weekend in Yelgun, which attracts tens of thousands from around the country. Some of this year’s big drawcards include The Cure, The Strokes, The 1975, Sticky Fingers and The Avalanches. But it’s more than music; ABC’s Tony Jones will host a Splendour only Q&A and Splendour’s Comedy Club returns with four big shows that feature Wil Anderson, Tom Ballard, Michael Hing and Triple J’s Matt Okine and Becky Luca.
Police warning
But patrons should beware: like past events, police will be using drug detection dogs and will conduct roadside breath-testing and drug-testing on nearby roads. Organisers are also asking that punters respect the North Byron parkland’s neighbours.
A statement from police says ‘a high-visibility police operation will be in place for the three-day festival, involving police from Tweed Byron Local Area Command, assisted by general duties officers from across the northern region. They will be targeting illegal drug use and supply, as well as alcohol-fuelled violence and anti-social behaviour.’
Tweed Byron local area commander, detective superintendent Wayne Starling said, ‘Splendour in the Grass is a much-celebrated music festival and the biggest winter event of its kind in Australia, so we’re working together to ensure everyone involved can enjoy the experience.’
Ejected for illegal drug possession
Det. sup. Starling continued, ‘Festival-goers who choose to do the wrong thing, breach the event’s terms and conditions or risk the safety of other music fans, will be quickly identified and dealt with accordingly.
‘A warning to anyone planning on bringing illegal drugs into the festival – we will have both uniformed and plain-clothes police with drug-detection dogs patrolling the entire event footprint – so think again as you can expect to be caught and could face legal action.
‘Participants caught in possession of illegal drugs can also expect to be removed from the site by event organisers and anyone who attends the festival affected by drugs or alcohol may be refused entry.’
Fro more information visit https://splendourinthegrass.com.
