An Aussie music festival has been hit with a last-minute anti-binge drinking measure that’s sure to raise a few eyebrows and questions about the reasoning of South Australia’s Liquor Licensing authorities.
As Rip It Up reports, Asiafest’s upcoming Full Moon Party is a tribute to Thailand’s notorious Full Moon Parties that fill up your Facebook news feed with photos of your friends partying with drunken tourists.
Asiafest are looking to replicate the experience for Adelaide punters, packing their event with neon paint and cheap cocktails consumed in buckets, and it’s the latter amenity that has authorities crying foul.
South Australia Police and the State Government’s Consumer and Business Services recently aired concerns the buckets would aid in binge drinking, with organisers subsequently agreeing not to serve beverages in buckets or stock buckets at bars.
“We agreed that the perception of serving alcoholic beverages in buckets could encourage irresponsible consumption of alcohol,” Asiafest organiser Greg Evangelou told Rip It Up.
“Jointly, we decided that we would not serve beverages in buckets nor would we make them available in any bars. However there were no restrictions on our license that stated we weren’t to sell buckets in our merchandise shop,” Evangelou says.
Image via Full Moon Party Facebook
Organisers planned on continuing to sell the one litre buckets at others parts of the festival, which patrons could potentially fill with alcohol themselves and carry on with their dangerous consumption activities.
That glaring little loophole was sealed early last week with a last-minute condition placed on organisers. Confoundingly, organisers can still sell the buckets, but they must first drill a 2cm hole in the bottom of each one.
Why anyone would want to buy a container that can’t actually contain anything is a question best asked of the liquor licensing authorities, though as Rip It Up notes, punters may simply use the buckets as makeshift beer bongs.
“Although we are extremely disappointed with the outcome, we don’t believe it will affect the atmosphere of the Full Moon Party in any way,” Evangelou said.
