Splendour Site Greenlighted

After a delay of four years, authorities green-lighted a permanent site for the Splendour In The Grass festival in picturesque Byron Bay, Australia.

Promoters Paul Pittico and Jessica Ducrou bought the 258-hectare North Byron Parklands to hold the festival and other events, but council approval was delayed due to protests from environmental and residential groups.

The 11-year-old festival, which draws 30,000 over two days, spent the last two years in Queensland before returning to Byron Bay’s smaller Belongil Fields this year.

Online ticket seller Moxtix reported all 17,500 tickets for 2012 sold out in 43 minutes April 27.

Splendour moves to its permanent home next year where its capacity for the first year is capped at 25,000 and extends to 35,000 by 2017.