A dance party on a private property in NSW over the weekend refused to shut down despite the fact a man was found dead in a car at the site.
As ABC reports, a 24 year-old man’s body was found in a car at Omega Festival just West of Grafton around 2pm on Sunday afternoon.
His body was found just 200m from the mainstage of the festival and according to ABC music continued to play as police dealt with the man’s death.
Police requested for organisers to shut the festival down but it was still continuing this morning. The local Clarence Valley Council said that organisers had not applied for a permit to hold the event saying that they worked in “secretive” ways.
“They’re very hard to pick up, they move rapidly around different sites.”
Despite this, Detective Inspector Darren Jameson said officers did not have the power to shut down the event and that there was “sizeable risk” involved in moving “2,500 people out of a rural location when they’re already aggressive towards police because they’re affected by drugs and alcohol”.
They obtained a warrant to enter the property and investigate the crime but had to leave straight after. While there, they located, “items of interest associated with drug use and particularly cannabis use.”
The property used for the festival was a back-up plan after they were forced to move from their first venue on an Aboriginal reserve at Jubullum Village at Tubulam.
“Despite our best efforts police have forced us from the property,” festival organisers wrote on social media on Sunday.
“We are left with no option but to relocate the festival, directions for the new site will be emailed to ticket buyers during this evening, please do not post the new directions to Facebook.”
