After much speculation, this year’s Maitreya Festival, or more recently known as ‘Yourtreya Festival’, has reportedly been cancelled. The event’s Facebook page released a now-deleted statement this afternoon, confirming that the festival will not go ahead, after many sources, including local authorities, asserted the organisers would not be able to stage the event. Maitreya’s statement cited “circumstances beyond our control” as the reason for the cancellation, however it’s been widely reported that the lack of proper permits was the sole reason for putting a stop to it.

Despite the original post being removed, there is a statement on the festival’s website, saying they “request you do not attend the venue”.

”The Maitreya Festival does not have the required authorisation to proceed from 11-14th March at Wooroonook Lakes. The festival organisers request that you do not attend the venue. The festival will not take place there. Festival facilities are currently being removed from the site. There will be no facilities in place on 11-14th March including showers, potable water supply, toilets, medical or fire management services, food or beverage, or lighting or stages. There will be no music performances or other festival events. Festival organisers are endeavouring to secure an alternative venue, and will post announcements in relation to this at a later time.”

There’s still plenty of confusion surrounding the whole weekend, as there has been conflicting information posted on social media and no details about obtaining refunds. Understandably, fans of the festival have been planning for the camping weekend for some time, and many have already taken to social media to express their disappointment (to put it lightly), with some vowing to go ‘renegade’ at the proposed festival site anyway. Although we can probably guess what the eventual outcome will be, it’s probably best to keep an eye on Maitreya’s Facebook event and website for updates as they happen.