On New Year’s Eve, revelers attempting to escape an outdoor music festival were stuck in traffic for up to nine hours due to a severe traffic bottleneck on the only road out.
Some even punched holes in wire fences to escape the turmoil at the Beyond the Valley music festival, held in rural Victoria’s Barunah Plains on New Year’s Eve, where Nelly Furtado and Kaytranada performed.
After a number of spectators collapsed due to dehydration and heatstroke, the event’s organizers issued a contrite apology for “the delays and inconvenience caused.”
People attempting to exit an outdoor music festival were trapped for nine hours in sweltering heat. Photographed are festivalgoers at Beyond the Valley
Festival-goer Monique Moor remarked that the massive traffic jam marred her festival experience.
She told the Herald Sun, “There appears to be no traffic management, and no one has been able to move for hours.”
People have started cutting wire fences and driving over them while standing on top of automobiles in an attempt to figure out what is going on.
Ms. Moor stated that despite the mid-30s degree heat, she and her three fellow passengers do not want to use the air conditioning because they fear the car’s battery may die.
She remarked, “About ten automobiles have broken down, and most people don’t have (mobile phone) reception, making the situation much more tense.”
They left their campsite at 9 a.m. and had only moved 20 meters three hours later.
Jack Morgan, an attendee, expressed his anger at the scenario on social media.
Approximately fifty lanes of traffic are attempting to merge into one lane. Have now been waiting for over nine hours,’ he tweeted.
Another man told Channel 9 that he witnessed a woman suffering from “heatstroke, just delirious and comatose for a while.”
Jim reported that it took his daughter nine hours to escape the place.
He tweeted at 5:30 p.m., “My daughter is finally leaving Beyond the Valley after waiting in line since 8 a.m. in her car.
She stated that individuals were collapsing due to dehydration and that organizers were forced to distribute free water. Evidently, there is no traffic management, thus security is now responsible for this function.
Another parent, Patrick Griffiths, stated that it was his 18-year-old daughter’s first time attending a festival of this nature, and that it was somewhat disturbing.
You wouldn’t want a fire or whatever to occur. It sounds like it would be easier to escape prison than Beyond the Valley,’ he remarked.
Two young women are shown at the Beyond the Valley festival in Victoria’s Barunah Plains.
During the New Year’s holiday weekend, the Beyond the Valley festival was hosted in Victoria, British Columbia.
The traffic gridlock was caused by the inflow of cars leaving the festival as well as ordinary holiday traffic, according to the event’s organizers.
“We are having traffic difficulties getting out of the event today owing to the rush of automobiles exiting the festival as well as typical holiday traffic on the highways,” the festival wrote on Instagram in response to a barrage of complaints.
Our team has buggies delivering water to automobiles, and there are numerous water tanks around the property for filling bottles.
“We recognize that this procedure is unpleasant in the heat.
Our top focus is ensuring everyone’s safe return home.
»Beyond the Valley music festival traffic jam: Cars backed up in Victoria for nine hours«