The saga surrounding Maitreya Festival seemed to be pretty cut and dry. Organisers failed to provide necessary documentation to receive the appropriate permits to hold their event so council said no.

An appeal at VCAT ruled in favour of council and it looked as though Maitreya’s 10th birthday celebrations had gone up in smoke. But the festival wasn’t having any of it and quickly mobilised and counterpunched.

“We have secured a fantastic new venue just down the road from the lake!” organisers wrote on Facebook. “This means we can still support the AMAZING community in CHARLTON who have supported the event and its patrons SO MUCH!”

However, just as things were looking up, it became apparent that Maitreya’s new venue may not be on the level. Organisers soon issued a new post in which they revealed the location was secret and punters would be directed to a checkpoint on the day of the festival.

Victoria Police soon caught wind of this and issued an official statement, warning punters not to attend the festival. “Victoria Police strongly discourages event organisers from proceeding without the appropriate authorisation,” they wrote.

“As the Maitreya/Maitreyah Festival is unauthorised and several support agencies (eg St Johns) have withdrawn services for the Festival, Victoria Police warns organisers and attendees, that your personal safety could be compromised by attending.”

Organisers responded to the police’s warning in a statement to inthemix, assuring all punters attending this weekend that the festival is “safe and secure” and will provide a massive benefit to the local community.

NEWS from the FRONT LINES! After all our efforts to mediate an work with the council The court has ORDERED that we…

Posted by Yourtreya Festival onThursday, March 3, 2016

“The statement by Victoria Police today is not helpful, but also shows the sort of things that we go through to be able to peacefully get together under the banner of dance music,” organisers wrote in the statement.

“Our event is better planned than anything else that happens in this community, is better resourced to keep our patrons healthier and happier than any other in the are, and offers the opportunity for the community to earn a years worth of cash in a weekend.”

“The local people of Buloke Shire will definitely vote out there council after the event, perhaps they will vote out the police also now? We really are surprised with the way things have turned out, as we continue to plan a safe community event, and have agreed to pay the Police bill of $20,000 for their presence at the event this year.”

“We deep down believe they will still come and do their bit to help keep a safe place, but ultimately the event is safe and secure without Victoria Police’s blessing and people should be encouraged to come experience it.”

Fans have taken to Maitreya’s official Facebook page to voice their concerns, with many still confused about the status of the festival and what the chances are that it will be shut down by police and tickets will become void.

“Firstly, when you’ve got 10,000 people, there’s no such thing as a secret location,” Darren Sanicki of GI & Sanicki Lawyers tells Tone Deaf. “Everyone’s going to know where it is in 30 seconds.”

A message relating to the Maitreya/Maitreyah Festival. Victoria Police is monitoring the situation regarding the…

Posted by Victoria Police onSunday, March 6, 2016

“I think the whole idea of a secret festival, it sounds sort of sexy and fun, but I think logistically it just isn’t possible.”

“I mean, now that they’ve had the publicity and it’s public knowledge they don’t have permits in place, I can’t imagine there’s any vendors that will do any business with them. I understand they want to be defiant and all of that, but if they try to put on this festival they’re crazy.”

We asked Darren about the potential ramifications of holding an unsanctioned event, including what would happen if a punter were to injure themselves or if the event gets shut down and ticket-holders are left out of pocket.

“Well, if the event is unsanctioned, and uninsured, and one thing goes wrong, the organisers are pretty much finished,” he said. “They’re going to be wiped out financially, because they won’t be covered by insurance.”

“So anything that happens — someone slips and hurts themselves, or needs urgent medical assistance and there are no paramedics on site, or any event involving property damage, these guys aren’t covered.”

Whilst St John’s Ambulance have pulled their involvement with the festival, organisers recently announced that they have partnered with private medical services company Emergency Medical Management to cover the festival.

“If something happened and someone got hurt they would be well within their rights to sue the organisers straight away, which they can do anyway, but that’s why you get insurance for these events. No insurance company would go near [an unsanctioned event]. They’re risking everything.”

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“Should the event not proceed, punters are entitled to a refund. The odds of whether they get it or not, I don’t know. I’m unsure as to the organisers’ situation in regards to where the money is… but if any punters are out of pocket, they’ll no doubt go after them.”

But if organisers aren’t forthcoming with refunds, as was reportedly the case with Soundwave festival, Darren says punters will be left with little comfort, even if they were successful in suing the organisers.

It should of course be noted that Maitreya tickets are sold direct to punters from the Maitreya website without a third-party ticketer.

“You’ll have to sue them, you can report them to consumer affairs, you can take them to VCAT or the Magistrate’s Court, and probably one lawyer will put their hand up and represent all those who lost money in one hit,” said Darren.

“But unless these guys have got the money you’re unlikely to get it. This is more so the case if they don’t have insurance in place.” Maitreya Festival is still scheduled to take place this Friday, 11th March.

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