Perth

Bali Fest Mandurah Leaves Punters Fuming

“Grossly disappointing.”

• Published
Bali Fest Mandurah Leaves Punters Fuming

Original Fyre Festival photoshoot. Image: Netflix.

A ship captain getting his vessell stuck in the Suez Canal. Eve eating the apple. Napolean invading Russia. Tiger Woods indulging in extramarital activities. Chernobyl.

Human history is littered with cock ups.

Few were so well publicised as the Fyre Festival fiasco – a so-called luxury festival in the Bahamas, which comprised of 25-year-old ‘hot shot’ scamming investors out of $26 million (a tale which eventually got made into a Netflix documentary).

Rather than luxury accommodation, there were tents, and rather than Bahamian-style sushi and pig roasts there were cold cheese sandwiches and soggy mattresses.

Many A-list musical acts (think: Pusha T, Tyga, and Migos, as well as Blink-182) – pulled out in the days leading up to the event, too.

“In the concert industry, there has never been anything that remotely rivals the disaster that the Fyre Festival became,” Bryan Burrough, a special correspondent for Vanity Fair, told CNBC about it.

Though such a broad scale disaster has not just occurred in West Australia, an event called Bali Fest – located in Mandurah, a city 50 minutes by car south of Perth – has certainly infuriated some Australians.

Though some social media users point out those expecting great things from the festival were tripping from the get-go…

… others have their jeans severely in a twist.

The festival, which was meant to “bring Bali to Australia” from April the 2nd to the 6th left many disappointed. It has been called, by one Twitter user, “Perth’s very own Fyre Festival.”

Though the advertising wasn’t quite on the same level as Fyre Festival’s…

… many event-goers, who paid $30 for their tickets, were thoroughly unimpressed.

The organisers marketed Bali Fest as an event that would bring Balinese culture, food, entertainment, shopping and leisure lifestyle to Australia, and promised to donate money to Balinese people and charitable organisations.

There wasn’t enough Nasi Goreng in the pudding though. A lack of food stall variety, Balinese cuisine and cultural dances had punters wanting to remind the organisers there was more to Bali than Bintangs.

Image: thewest.com.au

“Dozens of people took to Bali Fest’s Facebook page to call for refunds and question what they were getting for their entry fee,” News.com.au reports.

One ticket holder described his experience as “grossly disappointing” when speaking to News.com.au.

“Wandered around the stalls which were a disappointment because these were what we would expect to find anywhere in a weekend market with FREE entry.”

“Bought some tickets to support the Bali Relief Fund. Wandered around the food trucks and bought something to eat and drink. Again, these were what we would expect anywhere the food trucks operate for FREE.”

“Ready to leave by 11.15am as nothing happening in the bar area. So what do you get for your entry fee? Still trying to work that out.”

“Grossly disappointing and would not recommend anyone paying a fee to enter considering you still had to pay for everything inside as well.”

Image: PerthNow

Another who attended the event, Gail Barrett, who holidays in Bali, told PerthNow: “It was nothing like Bali, there were hardly any stalls open or food trucks promoting Bali cuisine, or any cultural dancers…it was absolute false advertising.”

“I will be lodging a complaint and I want to see a report of where the money they’ve raised actually goes to the charities.”

Social media shows these are far from isolated complaints.

Complaints have led a West Australia consumer protection watchdog to issue a warning to event organisers about the accuracy of advertising.

In response to patrons’ disappointment, the organisers of Bali Fest thave issued an apology and offered refunds.

The “first time event organiser” behind Bali Fest appears undettered in his ambition, however, telling the West Australian it will be the biggest festival in Austarlia in a year.

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