Chaos as thousands of revellers swamp Byron amid Splendour in the Grass flooding

Throngs of festivalgoers have retreated to Byron Bay after night one of Splendour in the Grass was cancelled amid disastrous weather.

Throngs of festivalgoers have retreated to Byron Bay after night one of Splendour in the Grass was cancelled.

Several bands scheduled to perform tonight have also made their way into town and are drawing thousands of drenched punters to the tourist hotspot’s bars and clubs.

Queues of people could be seen lining up to try and snag a scarce table.

Video from outside the Beach Hotel showed lines of people around the block to catch Baker Boy, Confidence Man and Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever who are all performing tonight.

Revellers queued for hours to get into Byron Bay's Beach Hotel. Picture: Instagram

Look at the crowd waiting to get into Beach Hotel in Byron Bay where Baker Boy, Confidence Man and Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever are playing tonight in lieu of their #SITG2022 shows

📹: Ellie Robinson pic.twitter.com/jUJqUf3WYA

— NME Australia (@nmeaustralia) July 22, 2022

The organisers this afternoon cancelled all of Friday’s major acts after hectic weather turned the Byron Bay festival site into a flooded bog.

Major acts who will not be performing tonight include headliners Gorillaz as well as The Avalanches and Kacey Musgraves.

Throngs of festivalgoers have retreated to Byron Bay after night one was cancelled.

Throngs of festivalgoers have retreated to Byron Bay after night one was cancelled.

A statement from the Splendour in the Grass organisers said: “A significant weather system is currently sitting off the east coast and may reach land later today, bringing more rainfall.

“In the interest of patron safety and in consultation with all relevant emergency services, we have decided to err on the side of caution and cancel performances on the main stages today only – Amphitheatre, Mix Up, GW McLennan and Park (Land) Stages.

“In the coming week, Moshtix will be in contact with the ticket holders affected directly via the email address used to purchase their ticket for further information on refunds.

“We ask for patience while we work through the refund process. Please be assured that our event team is working very hard to provide the best experience possible under the current circumstances.

“We look forward to Saturday and Sunday programming moving ahead as planned.”

Originally published as Chaos as thousands of revellers swamp Byron amid Splendour in the Grass flooding