The concert promoters for Newcastle’s Fat As Butter 2013 have dumped the festival’s camping plans ahead of the event’s kick-off next month.
Fat As Butter 2013 was to be the event’s debut as a camping festival, with grounds located near the Newcastle Foreshore providing for 1,500 festival-goers, but promoters have pulled the plug on their Camp Shortland site, even though they had the necessary approval from local council.
Newcastle Council had given Fat As Butter’s camping application the green light as far back as June, noting that it passed all the necessary requirements for an event license, but promoters Mothership Events has advised Council that they “don’t feel they can execute their plans for high level camping in the remaining weeks,” as ABC News reports.
The news will likely come as a positive sign of victory to local residents who had been strongly opposed to Newcastle Council’s decision to approve the Fat As Butter camping grounds, which would have been an 18+ site to feature fenced, licensed areas, a fun fair, a spit roast buffet, and live entertainment.
In June, the application ruffled the feathers of local residents who rallied over not being consulted over the Council’s approval, while expressing concerns about security and police presence enough to deal with anti-social behaviour.
As recently as August, David Stewart of the Newcastle East Residents Association had called the camping proposal “unacceptable”, while the Sandhills Community Garden group had also voiced their strong resistance to Fat As Butter’s green-lit application, complaining that drunken youths at last year’s festival had destroyed and littered in local gardens.
Newcastle Council also responded to concerns over noise regulations from the campsite by stating the festival would face large fines if they did not adhere to strict volume guidelines.
Promoters will continue to work with council to provide camping at future events, while Fat As Butter will go ahead as planned on Saturday 26th October, with a lineup featuring Gym Class Heroes, Bliss N Eso, Matt Corby, The Rubens, Boy & Bear, and more, with festival organisers expecting to draw a crowd of 18,000 people and around $1.8 million to local economy, according to their original camping application.
The cancellation of the camping plans follows Fat As Butter organisers canning their original plans to burn an effigy of Flo Rida at this year’s event. Designed as a ritual and symbolic purging of the international rap star’s blight upon the event ever since his 2011 no-show, which eventually spiralled into a messy court case between the international rapper and former Fat As Butter promoters, Mothership Music, that led to them entering voluntary liquidation.
Due to pressure from “the powers that be”, Fat As Butter eventually called off the decision to burn a totem of Flo Rida at the 2013 edition, but teased: “Oh well,we’ll just have to come up with another crazy idea.”
Fat As Butter 2013 Dates & Tickets
Saturday 26th October, 2013
The Foreshore, Newcastle
15+ Event
FAB CAMPShortland Lawn, The Foreshore18+ Event
Tickets and info at www.fatasbutter.com.au
Fat As Butter 2013 Lineup
GYM CLASS HEROES [USA]
BLISS N ESO
MATT CORBY
BOY & BEAR
THE RUBENS
BLUEJUICE
GLASS TOWERS
KILTER
SUPER BEST FRIENDS
PORTER ROBINSON [USA]
DIGITALISM DJ SET [GER]
BOOKA SHADE DJ SET [GER]
MICKEY AVALON [USA]
BOMBS AWAY [LIVE]
BRITISH INDIA
THE ASTON SHUFFLE DJs
COSMO JARVIS [UK]
OWL EYES
GOLD FIELDS DJs
SPIT SYNDICATE
THE HOLIDAYS
PEKING DUK
THE M – MACHINE [USA]
DIALECTRIX
BATTLESHIPS
WILLOW BEATS
And More
