Pandemonium Rocks comes under fire from outraged fans for its ‘accessible viewing area’: ‘Absolute joke’
Pandemonium Rocks has come under fire after photos emerged allegedly showing the festival’s ‘disgraceful’ ‘accessible viewing area’.
The new rock festival kicked off in Melbourne last weekend after being plagued by problems, including the need to downsize to a single-stage event and make line-up changes.
The Sydney leg of the festival took place at Cathy Freeman Park on Anzac Day, and large crowds flocked to see the likes of Alice Cooper, Blondie and Wheatus perform.
However, the troubled concert came under fire after photos circulated on social media claiming to show the festival’s ‘accessible viewing angle’.
Photos showed a grassy area cordoned off with an “accessible” sign attached to a metal barrier, but there was no flat carpeting or raised platform.
Pandemonium Rocks has come under fire after photos emerged allegedly showing the festival’s ‘disgraceful’ ‘accessible viewing area’. Pictured
The area also appeared to be relatively far from the stage, with huge crowds of concertgoers standing in front of it and ‘obstructing’ the view.
Outraged social media users were quick to condemn the ‘poor effort’, while slamming the festival for allegedly not providing an elevated platform for fans.
They seethed, “Extremely poor attempt!; ‘Uneven dirt and grass, what an effort’; ‘That’s actually disgusting’; “The appearance of this area seems disgraceful and an absolute joke.”
Others said, ‘How is that different from being anywhere else?!’; ‘This is shameful. This is NOT how you do accessibility. Signed: a disabled person.’
Photos showed a grassy area cordoned off with an ‘accessible’ sign attached to a metal barrier, but there was no flat floor covering or raised platform
‘This is heartbreaking. Just a fence slapped together that is at eye level of anyone in a wheelchair,” said another.
‘As a wheelchair user who likes to be in the thick of things, I always find the viewing areas at disabled festivals so boring and insulting. Every single one of them and I’ve been doing festivals since 09,” someone else wrote.
The Pandemonium Rocks website states: ‘We will have accessible viewing areas at each event, as well as accessible toilet facilities and more.
‘Pandemonium festival will do our utmost to meet all requirements. We may be limited by location, compliance and capacity constraints.”
The area also appeared to be relatively far from the stage, with huge crowds of concertgoers standing at the front and ‘obstructing’ the view, causing outrage among people
Pandemonium Rocks provided accessibility information on its website and said it would ‘do our utmost to meet all requirements’
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Pandemonium Rocks for comment.
Elsewhere at the Sydney show, Pandemonium Rocks shared a tribute to the Australian Defense Force after coming under fire for scheduling the music event at the same time and location as the Anzac Day March in Sydney.
The day-long festival was due to take place at the Domain in Sydney on April 25, but was later moved due to concerns about clashing with the Anzac Day March.
On that day, event organizers placed a sign paying respect to the men and women who have served and died in all wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations.
Blondie’s Alice Cooper (pictured) and Debbie Harry were among the big names who took to the stage at Pandemonium Rocks in Sydney on Thursday evening
“Pandemonium Rocks thanks all our military personnel,” the message read.
“Thank you also to Wounded Heroes who are providing crisis support to ADF veterans and their families.”
The post added that representatives from Wounded Heroes were at the festival and urged attendees to show their support by ‘buying a pin’ from the charity.
The festival was originally scheduled to take place less than a kilometer away from where thousands of Aussies would gather for the traditional Anzac Day March, with up to 10,000 active service members and veterans taking part.
Pandemonium Rocks shared a tribute to the Australian Defense Force after coming under fire for scheduling the music event at the same time and location as the Anzac Day March
After concerns arose about the parade’s overlap with the festival, the NSW government intervened in January and announced the concert would be rescheduled.
Prime Minister Chris Minns said at the time: “There won’t be a rock concert in the middle of the city on Anzac Day.
“That part of the city must and will be a place where diggers can commemorate with their friends and family, and where fellow Australians can remember the service of those who have given their lives in the service of our country.”
Blondie’s Alice Cooper and Debbie Harry were among the big names who took to the stage at Pandemonium Rocks in Sydney on Thursday evening.
Pandemonium Rocks defied all expectations by pushing ahead after many Australian festivals were canceled this year due to economic problems and poor ticket sales (photo: Debbie Harry on stage)
The festival also featured performances from Wheatus, Wolfmother and Cosmic Psychos, and will tour the Gold Coast and Brisbane this weekend.
Six acts were previously axed from the festival, including international headliners Placebo and Deep Purple and American band Dead Kennedys.
The original multi-stage layout was also condensed into a single stage and ticket prices were reduced as the festival was forced to make a series of major changes.
But Pandemonium Rocks defied all odds by pushing ahead after many Australian festivals – including Groovin The Moo and Splendor In The Grass – were canceled this year due to economic problems and poor ticket sales.