Words by Jack Miller

Troubles surrounding the seemingly cursed Maitreya dance music festival have culminated not only in its cancelation, but with organisers being sued by the Victorian Supreme Court for upwards of $400,000 of ticket revenue that has miraculously gone missing.

Maitreya Arts and Music Festival was cancelled earlier this year in March after Buloke Shire Council refused to grant planning permits to the organisers, voicing concerns regarding planning, insurance, and emergency services.

The festival was cancelled on March 10th, however, not before selling $1 million worth of tickets through online ticketing agency TryBooking, who are suing Maitreya and its directors Lachlan Bell, Julius Webster and Sophie Oostermeyer.

According to TryBooking, documents filed on their behalf only permitted access to those funds with express permission from them, and in conjunction any funds withdrawn had to repaid within 48 hours.

The Kew-based ticketing agency claims to have refunded $520,524 to customers who purchased tickets using credit cards, alleging to be out $409,082 as it seems more than $950,000 was withdrawn between September 2015 and March 2016.

In the months since its cancelation, dozens of upset and seemingly disgruntled music fans have flooded the events Facebook page, with angry messages regarding the cancelation and the ticket refunding situation.

In a string of Facebook posts, organisers of the festival have seemingly refused to offer punters any explanation as to why their tickets are not being refunded. Instead, promising an “event” on Grand Final Long Weekend, starting 30th September 2016 at Lake Wooroonook.

Organisers have had plenty of time to realise the festivals shortcomings, with the Buloke Shire Council refusing to issue the necessary permits in February. Festival organisers took the council to VCAT, but on February 29 a hearing upheld the council’s decision to withhold planning permits, citing concerns around safety and the environmental impact of the event.

VCAT told festival organisers on March 4 to contact ticket holders that the event would not proceed and to clear the site within 2 weeks. Disregarding that, Maitreya promised that the event was “100 per cent go” with tickets still on sale. The event was later cancelled on March 10, citing bad weather and a flooded campsite as the reason, again leaving patrons in the dark as to why the event was cancelled.

Fairfax media reported that international DJs Liquid Soul (Swiss) and DJ Zyce (Serbian) had been paid their full fee by organisers, evidence that some of the missing funds had been used to continue good relations with headline acts.

This lack of communication and shady underhand dealings have left punters angry and out of pocket, with the festival’s most recent post accumulating more that 500 comments, with many calling the fiasco “a disgrace” and some calling for a Class Action Lawsuit to take place.

Maitreya organisers and their legal representatives declined to speak to any media outlet regarding this story.