Tug Of War Over Splendour

A tug of war has started over the Splendour In The Grass festival in Australia.

This year it moved to Woodfordia in Queensland while awaiting approval for its new permanent 660-acre North Byron Parklands site in Byron Bay.

The go-ahead is expected this year. But the Parkland’s GM, Mat Morris, told a public meeting in Byron Bay that the festival would most likely not return to Byron until 2012.

Byron businessmen held a rally calling for the festival to return, as they lost money in its absence. At the same time, businesses and tourism bodies in Queensland are negotiating for Splendour to stay in their neck of the woods permanently after this year’s event brought in $18 million to the region.

“It also boosted tourism numbers significantly,” said Allan Sutherland, mayor of Moreton Bay. Over three days Splendour attracted 32,000 – 16,500 of which were from outside Queensland. Splendour organizers want to return to Byron.