Summer of Love Festival to be at Tamborine Mountain Showgrounds after allegations of indoctrination and excessive force
Critics warnings about a touring ‘peace, love and hope’ festival - coming to the Gold Coast - claim some festival goers felt pressure to be baptised and “healed” by prayer.
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Critics sounding warnings about a touring ‘peace, love and hope’ festival - coming to the Gold Coast - claim some festival goers felt pressure to be baptised and “healed” by prayer.
One anonymous critic making her claims on a Facebook group said she was “genuinely scared” when they went to a Summer of Love Festival recently.
It is touring Australia and scheduled for the Tamborine Mountain Showgrounds from September 30 to October 1, promoted as a “not-for-profit community festival”.
But critics claim it is heavily religious.
“I’ll probably get reemed for this but here (it) goes,” an anonymous critic posted about the festival.
“[Summer of Love] continues to run festivals in Australia. They’re currently in Qld doing so.
“They ‘call for ageing hippies’. It is NOT for hippies.
“They are a church group, who try to baptise you and ‘heal’ you,” the post claimed.
Shellharbour City Council had awarded a $10,000 sponsorship grant for the two-day Summer of Love Illawarra festival in January.
Several attendees claimed people at the Summer of Love were evangelical in their approach, and they felt pressured into baptisms in a blow-up pool.
One woman even claimed on Facebook her son broke his arm at the Illawarra event and was told “prayers would fix it”.
The woman was also a stallholder and posted online criticising the size of the event, claiming it was small than anticipated.
“I wrecked myself with two nights and no sleep prior making more stock because I was worried I didn’t have enough. Also came a long way to come to this event and my first ever market. So invested in a lot of equipment to do it, for it to be nothing,” she posted.
Albion resident Dan Hicking said while he did not attend January’s festival, he had seen the discussion regarding advertsing with patrons and stallholders.
“The way the organisers advertised it all over socials was pretty much the same as they are advertising it now,” he said.
“Then when people arrive, they find it to be mostly religious with healing tents, baptism baths and people wondering around trying to encourage patrons to visit these things.”
Mr Hicking shared screenshots of now deleted comments on the Summer of Love facebook page.
One comment from festival goers and stallholder Jess Little shared her dismay over attending, with her son ending up in hospital with a broken arm.
“My son broke his arm at the event just before we were about to leave,” she wrote.
She said a festival goer suggested he attend the natural healing tent.
Another online commenter Alyssa McMahon said she was “disappointed” in the festival.
“Would’ve been nice if we were told prior to turning up yesterday it was a Jesus festival where there is Jesus music blasting and god bothers that walk around and appear out of nowhere and talk to you about Jesus,” she said.
“They try to drag you over to a tent to ‘heal’ you and baptise you in a pool with a side thing of music.
“Went yesterday under an impression of it being something completely different to what it was and I was absolutely shocked.
“Especially when one of the god botherers came up to me and my friends.
“When we explained we don’t believe in that stuff they said ‘it’s okay we are one of you guys too’.
“Won’t be returning, disappointed.”
A festival spokesperson denied the accusations in January and claimed the event was not run with any religious motives or organisations.
On May 1, a post was published on social media calling for local Tamborine Mountain musicians, singers, drummers for a “not-for-profit community festival”.
The Summer of Love Festival does not appear as a registered charity in the Australian Charities and Not-For-Profits Commission (ACNC).
The Festival did not have a registered ABN but was registered as an “association” with ASIC (Australian Securities and Investment Commission).
The festival was contacted for a comment via calls, texts and email but has not responded.
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