BY ERIN CONSTABLE

Splendour in the Grass is an Aussie music festival that is run each July, in Byron Bay.

It attracts both domestic and international superstar performers with Tyler the Creator, Duke Dumont and Liam Gallagher headlining this year’s event. 

With a gradually growing capacity, this year’s festival peaked, boasting space for 50,000 attendees.

The festival is usually held in the grassy meadows next to the ocean, but after a year of almost consistent rainfall and extreme flooding, both the campgrounds and festival grounds turned to brown sludge. Record rainfall slammed New South Wales in the weeks leading to the event.

Given the conditions of the grounds, the massive wait-time for buses, and the fact that the festival was largely understaffed, organisers were left with little choice but to cancel the first day of events. This came as a shock to some patrons, who found out through journalists covering the festival, or by chatting with other patrons. 
 

THE EXPERIENCE

My friends and I arrived on the first day, but had to wait hours to get access to the campsite. As the first day of acts was then cancelled, it meant we had to miss some initial performances that we were excited for, including Ruel, Jungle and Dillon Francis. 
 

In an attempt to continue the festivities, regardless of the main stages being closed, campers made the most of the festival grounds, including joining in activities despite the mud. 

Each area was a giant playground for adults, with a carnival-like atmosphere. It would have been beautiful if the ankle-deep brown sludge had not ruined the photos.

My friends and I coordinated matching pink outfits that caught us a lot of attention. Although, the best thing our outfits got us was the friendship of the awesome people we met.

Everyone there was in the same boat; wet, cold, and covered in mud. 

Something about this formula allowed for some of the most wholesome interactions I have had with strangers since the pandemic.

Girls offered to help me cut off the ends of my mud soaked flares that were dragging under my boots. A lovely man in a mosh pit gave me the most secure and calming hug, after he complimented my confidence.

My favourite sets of the festival were tied between Genesis Owusu and Duke Dumont. 

Genesis Owusu’s set was art. He entered the stage crouched on the backs of two of his backup dancers, who were covered in a long black cape. A visual, one can describe only, as the image of a shadowed horse. 

When the cape shed, more energy and passion exploded in the crowd than any other artist at the festival. This vibrancy continued throughout the whole set. His vivacity was impressive, not only for the sheer amount of  stamina it took to bring that energy to a festival in shambles, but watching someone do what they love with that much devotion is inspiring.  

Some highlights of Genesis Owusu’s set. 

Duke Dumont’s set was controversial. He was a DJ on the main stage in prime time on the final day of the festival, leaving some of the crowd unhappy with the coordination of the sets.  

But overlooking the logistics, his music made me cry tears of elation. 

While Dumont’s visuals were insanely detailed and curated to the performance, what brought on the tears was the performance of his song ‘Together’ from his album Duality.  

Duke Dumont’s ‘Together’ at Splendour in the Grass 2022

Rainbow lasers beamed from the stage covering the entire amphitheatre, while vibrant rainbow explosions appeared on the big screen.

Everyone around me was looking adoringly at their partner, or friends, they were with. It was a moment of unity, again, something I have not seen since before the pandemic.

I got to share that moment with my best friend, but also with the tens of thousands of other people there. 

It was pure elation.

The early morning hours of the final day were my favourite. I spent them at the Tepee stage, all alone. After three days constantly surrounded by others,  it was so relaxing to be surrounded by strangers; with people, yet completely isolated in my own bubble. I was dancing in the way people only dance when they’re alone in their bedroom.

While Splendour in the Grass 2022 was a memorable and happy experience I shared with my best friends, my heart goes out to those who were turned away from the festival due to staff shortages and muddy conditions.

My car smells like mud, it took me a long time to clean my doc martens, I had to sacrifice my pink flares to the festival, I was constantly cold or overheating, and the mud to the toilets was horrendous. 

There are a lot more complaints I could have for the lack of logistics that made the festival a challenging experience, and while my feet have yet to recover from the mud-wading and dancing – I do not want to forget this experience.