One toilet for every 128 patrons: WOMADelaide attendees slam line-ups at ‘overcrowded’ event

Angry WOMAD fans have criticised a lack of toilet cubicles at the jam-packed music festival, with wait times up to 60 minutes.

Angry WOMADelaide fans have slammed a lack of toilet cubicles at the jam-packed music festival, with wait times up to 60 minutes.

There are five banks of portable portaloo stations, housing a total of 234 portaloos, throughout the Botanic Park venue to cater for daily crowds of 30,000.

It equates to one portaloo for every 128 patrons.

The Advertiser approached fans at the festival on Sunday between 1pm and 3pm and spoke to people who had attended the previous days.

Toilet queues for WOMADelaide Festival in Adelaide. Picture: Supplied.

Festival attendee Shannyn Hulmes, 32, told The Advertiser on Sunday that after waiting 40 minutes in the toilet line she simply gave up.

“We’ve seen elderly people getting shoved while waiting for the toilet,” she said.

Others who posted their gripes on social media complained queues for the toilets and food lines were up to 80 minutes.

“Its been ridiculously busy. We just think WOMAD got greedy and oversold tickets,” Ms Hulmes said.

“The festival itself is incredible, but the queues are insane. We basically just dehydrate ourselves so we don’t have to go to the toilets after 5.30pm.”

Ms Hulmes said she was concerned about the queues for “toilets, food and drinks,” particularly for “elderly and children” attendees, and believes there were “hundreds of people” waiting to use the bathroom.

WOMADelaide attendee (LTR): Indigo Warner, 23, from Dulwich, Emma Marchesan, 23 from Parkside, Jemma Longmire, 23 from Evandale. Picture: Agnes Gichuhi

Jemma Longmire, 23, from Evandale, said the festival was “noticeably busier” this year.

“The main thing is just like the lines for the toilets, the food and everything,” Ms Longmire said.

“It just feels like they weren’t really prepared for how much busier it was than usual. We’ve just tried to not eat around 7pm, I think that’s the problem. Everyone has the same idea of when they want to eat dinner and then it’s impossible.”

WOMADelaide attendees. Maryanne Jebb, 67, and Malcolm Allbrook, 69, from Bungendore NSW. Picture: Agnes Gichuhi

Maryanne Jebb, 67, said the situation was so bad that some mums and their children were forced to use the men’s toilets.

“With the women’s toilets there were times when the wait was too long, and the workers were overwhelmed trying to clean them,” Ms Jebb said.

“I think the worst one was the disabled toilets, so I think they really need more disabled toilets.”

However, some attendees said they did not believe co-ordinators had properly prepared enough facilities for the anticipated crowd.

Toilet queues for WOMADelaide Festival in Adelaide. Picture: Supplied.

One attendee commented on WOMADelaide’s Instagram saying: “Completely dysfunctional festival that feels so oversold. Don’t call your festival accessible and then have 1/3 hr waits for all toilets and crowds so huge at the big stages that they nearly touch the crowd at the next big stage.”

“Inaccessible and nowhere near as fun as last year.”

Another attendee who commented on the same post said: “Too many tickets sold, WOMAD is overcrowded this year – cannot move safely, no way to get out easily in an emergency, hour-long queues for the toilet, food, drinks.”

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Another attendee commented on a WOMADelaide Facebook post last night saying: “Spent my day in line-ups. For the toilets, for food, for a drink, more toilets are needed.”

That post was followed by another, which said: “How many tickets did you sell WOMADelaide? The Park is absolutely packed. It is bonkers. I feel like it’s a stampede waiting to happen.”

One attendee on another WOMADelaide Facebook post echoed the same sentiment.

“Imagine destroying what was such a great event by overselling tickets. Food and beer impossible to buy,” it said.

“Toilets are disgusting and have (a) massive lines. Disappointed.”

Toilet queues for WOMADelaide festival in Adelaide. Picture: Supplied.

Toilet queues for WOMADelaide festival in Adelaide. Picture: Supplied.

A WOMADelaide spokesman said that capacity had been increased to 30,000 from its pre-Covid limit of 25,000 people each day, after the boundaries of the event were also expanded.

“Whilst we are above the Australian Government recommendations for toilet facilities for the event’s licensed capacity, we hear and understand your concerns around access for the facilities.

“We are working towards ensuring that.”

Last month, The Advertiser’s columnist Jess Adamson attended the Garden of Unearthly Delights and expressed her disgust at the state of the public portaloo toilets at the event.

Event organisers later defended the criticism by explaining that a vandal who attended caused the stinky situation.