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For anyone who's experienced New Years Eve in Australia, what could possibly sound better than celebrating the new year outside, with a few bands... oh, and if it just happened to be at the nation's newest water park... all the better, right?
(Too cold you say? Down there its summer, with temps in January hitting an average high of 79 Degrees Fahrenheit -- and often getting much, much higher.)
Unfortunately for 9,000 would-be revellers this year, what was billed as "The world's first music festival at a waterpark" with tickets going for around $AU200 (more for VIP access), was cancelled just six hours before the event was due to begin.
The event, run effectively as another organisation renting the park for the day (at a cost of $AU250,000), was cancelled for what the organiser initially called "last minute production issues", however since then it has come to light that the park itself shut down the event, citing safety and transport issues from the site, and media speculation on the organisers' lack of experience.
For its part, the park has trumpeted loudly its "voluntary" decision to refund the organisers, on the condition that "refunds are issued to all ticket purchasers". These refunds are expected to top $AU1 Million.
The promoters had planned an "even better" replacement party on January 26, Australia's national holiday. However this too has been cancelled by the park.
Its not a great start for the new park; although it is filling the void left by Wonderland Sydney (one time sister park with Canada's Wonderland) losing what could of been its busiest trading day of the year to a cancelled event is sure not to please the accounting department of owner Village Roadshow, as well as the residents of Greater Sydney upon whom the park will need to rely for a great amount of its annual visitors.
