Adelaide braces itself for Big sweaty Day Out

ORGANISERS of Adelaide's Big Day Out have been forced to make drastic changes as up to 33,000 music lovers prepare to sweat their way through the music festival tomorrow.

Weather weapon ... to combat the heat every stage will be equipped with plenty of water to give away / Picture: Charlie Brewer

Punters brace for Big sweaty Day Out

ORGANISERS of Adelaide's Big Day Out have been forced to make drastic changes to the layout of the venue and quadruple the amount of free water stations as up to 33,000 music lovers prepare to sweat their way through the music festival today.

An additional 8000 capacity shaded hall has been opened, the number of water canons and misted tents increased and thousands more bottles of water ordered as the city braces for another day of searing 40 degree-plus temperatures.

The layout of the venue has also been changed to allow punters to watch the stages from air conditioned areas.

Sneaky Sound System's Angus McDonald is just one of the 50 bands who'll be sweating it out on stage.

“It’ll be like playing a footy match. We’ll have to bring some oranges out at half-time!” he joked.

Organisers were forced to hold a last minute press conference with ambulance services to address concerns over the health and safety of the crowd.

"We will have three triage units on site to cope with those who need attention, an ER doctor, eight registered ER nurses in addition to the St Johns volunteers and should they require to leave the site for further medical attention we have a continuous ambulance on standby," said Big Day Out's national publicist, Patti Revson.

Paramedics have warned punters that alcohol consumption and blistering temperatures are a recipe for trouble.

"Not keeping fluids up and excessive alcohol consumption could lead to a very serious health situation on an extremely hot day. It is important that people act responsibly and look after their mates,” said Dr Hugh Grantham, Executive Director, Clinical Services, SA Ambulance Service.

While Sydney's temperature at last week's Big Day Out didn't quite match that of those expected in South Australia, water demand alarmingly exceeded supply in many parts of the venue as the temperature hit 38 degrees.

Festival goers Rachel Stuart said she had been forced to pay for cups of tap water from food outlets after some providers ran out of bottled water by the early evening.

"They charged me $5 for a plastic cup of tap water with ice at one of the hot dog stands because they'd run out of bottled water," Stuart said.

"I was pretty surprised they charged me that much for it, but by the end of the day I was that desperate I just paid it."

While organisers handed out cups of water and provided punters with free water refill stations throughout the site, the 21-year-old said she was unable to locate them.

"The whole day I didn't see any water stations, only bars where you had to pay $4 for a bottle.

“They need to provide more refill stations and make them more available in the future."

Adelaide's Big Day Out promoter Sacha Sewell said organisers had been forced to make renovations to the venue, including moving stages to provide more respite from the heat.

"Apart from the stages on the main arena, every other stage is either in an airconditioned hall or underneath a shade structure of some form," he said.