Pitch Music and Arts festival: Revellers are warned not to come to the Moyston event because of extreme heat and fire risks – but the event is still going ahead

A popular music festival has come under fire for going ahead despite revelers being urged to reconsider their plans due to a high fire risk and an extreme heatwave.

The Pitch Music and Arts festival in Moyston, 15km west of Ararat in Victoria’s Western District, encouraged revelers on Friday to leave the venue or postpone their travel to the event, despite organizers refusing to cancel

More than 18,000 people were expected to attend Saturday’s Pitch, one of the state’s largest music festivals.

Temperatures in Moyston are expected to reach 37 degrees Celsius on Saturday and 39 degrees on Sunday.

Organizers warned attendees on Friday evening to “leave this evening or early morning” after safety warnings, despite many already setting up at the venue for the five-day event.

After consultation with the authorities, the organizers chose to postpone the start time of the festival until Saturday at 6 p.m.

‘Following the update provided yesterday, and following consultation this morning with CFA, Victoria Police and other members of the Emergency Management teams, Pitch Music and Arts music programming will commence today (Saturday) at 6pm and will run for the remainder of the event will continue as scheduled,” organizers said in the latest update.

‘At the time of writing there are no active fires in the region and we want to assure you that those on site have access to adequate shade, cooling misting fans, food and water.’

‘We are closely following guidance from the relevant authorities to prioritize the safety of our community and have a full team of emergency services, including medical, police and firefighting on site, on call throughout the event

The first wave of revelers had already arrived at the site, which lies at the foot of the Grampians, before the dire updates were issued

Parents whose teenage and young adult children traveled to the event are also concerned due to the lack of cell reception at the rural location.

Some parents drove to the festival grounds to pick up their children.

Melbourne mother Nuala told the Herald Sun that her 22-year-old son’s decision to go to the evening was “absolutely shocking.”

‘I just think it’s the most irresponsible thing there is. They endanger children “I just feel like Pitch’s communication is terrible,” she said.

“Once there’s a fire, imagine trying to get all those kids out.”

Pitch’s social media pages are being flooded with refund requests from those who chose to follow the CFA’s advice.

Ticket prices range from $449 for two days to $499 for four days.

Organizers have apologized for the delays in processing ticket refunds as they try to meet demand.

“Regarding refund requests, we appreciate your patience as we work through the details,” organizers advised on the event website

“Rest assured, ticket holders will receive an update as more information becomes available.”

When the partygoers arrived by the busload on Friday evening, they were immediately warned by the CFA to leave.

Disgruntled festivalgoers dismissed the last-minute warning and wondered why the event wasn’t canceled earlier this week.

Aaron Smith, another concerned parent, wrote on

‘Pitch has issued a notice advising CFA not to attend or to leave, but they are still organizing the event. My child arrived yesterday – and no cell reception. No idea what they tell the people who are already there. What mixed messages: from 6pm, don’t come if you haven’t left yet… Not confidence inspiring,” Mr Smith wrote.

He continued tell The Age that it is difficult to consider the logic of Pitch’s conflicting advice.

“It’s really confusing because it’s inconsistent and it’s impossible to reconcile the advice not to come with not canceling the event,” he said.

Another parent said she called her son ‘non-stop’ until she was somehow finally able to contact him

‘Just got in touch with my son who has been there since yesterday. He says there are CFA trucks and people everywhere and the evacuation procedure has been explained to them. The set times have been pushed back. He feels pretty safe – obviously I’m worried,” she wrote.

Others also denounced the festival, calling it “deplorable” and “reckless.”

‘It is unfortunate that this festival is going ahead. It is unfair to locals and fire departments who may have to divert resources due to a large gathering to keep people safe. It is also not fair to the medical workers, security and all staff providing services to have to work in such extreme conditions,” one person wrote.

“It is completely reckless and negligent of the organizers of Pitch Music & Arts to allow the event to go ahead under these circumstances. They must ensure that these children can leave safely. They have a duty of care for these children,” said another.

Two teenagers who decided to attend the event anyway told the ABC that many of the people they spoke to weren’t sure what was going on.

‘We have absolutely no idea whether we can go. ‘Don’t come or don’t come – the middle ground is really very confusing. That’s what’s stressing everyone out,” one person said.

Another teen who chose to leave after already arriving added that most of the performers had withdrawn, so it wasn’t worth attending anyway.

“All the major artists have apparently been canceled, so it’s not really worth staying there and getting heatstroke,” she told the publication.

She said the lawsuit cost her $130 out of pocket because of the return bus ticket.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Pitch organizers for comment.