Police And Emergency Authorities Warn Punters Not To Attend Maitreya Festival This Weekend

UPDATE 10/03/16: Maitreya Festival has been officially cancelled.

Police, fire and ambulance authorities have warned festival-goers not to attend the Maitreya Festival in Victoria this weekend. The services have all released statements “strongly discouraging” people from attending the event, which has been denied a permit to legally go ahead.

After saying that they were rejected for a permit for the original site of Lake Wooroonook, Maitreya Festival (or now ‘Yourtreya’ on Facebook) announced that the festival would go ahead at a location “down the road” this weekend.

However, according to a statement from authorities, the festival’s lack of a permit means that there is no guarantee of basic services for patrons such as water, toilets, showers, medical care or fire management services at the event.

Victorian Police have said on their Facebook page that people’s “personal safety could be compromised” by attending the festival, while the Country Fire Authority have called the organisers’ actions “simply irresponsible” and Ambulance Victoria said that they have “major concerns for the health, safety and welfare of patrons.”

Maitreya organisers responded on inthemix last night, saying, “Our event is better planned than anything else that happens in this community, is better resourced to keep our patrons healthier and happier… and offers the opportunity for the community to earn a years worth of cash in a weekend. We really are surprised with the way things have turned out, as we continue to plan a safe community event.”