Rabbits Eat Lettuce is on the move.
After a wobbly few weeks, organisers of the beloved Queensland festival have secured a new site to stage its 2025 festival.
REL 2025 will now take place this Easter at Crystal Springs, a 3,500-acre property in Stonelands, located in the South Burnett Region, about 260km north-west of Brisbane.
A new home is a welcome relief for the REF team which has been stuck in a licencing limbo, a situation that came to a head Wednesday, March 19th during a meeting of the Southern Downs Regional Council (SDRC).
As previously reported, an earlier meeting of councillors saw the event narrowly voted down, casting doubt on a fest that generates millions for the local business community and was presented last year without a hitch.
Erik Lamir, director of REL Events Pty Ltd, presenters of Rabbits Eat Lettuce, lodged an appeal. And when the SDRC this week refused to process REL’s Temporary Event Permit Applications, a pivot.
Like magic, organisers have pulled a rabbit out of the hat.
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After a pause on ticket sales when REL was sidelined, the process has restarted. Less than 25% of 4th-tier tickets remain.
In a statement issued Thursday, REL confirmed the rabbit hole will be open next month. “We are incredibly grateful to the South Burnett for recognizing the value of music & arts cultural events,” Lamir says.
The 16th edition is all set for April 17th-21st, with a line-up including Luude, Astrix and Nora En Pure.
“We are beyond excited to bring REL Festival to the beautiful Crystal Springs property at Stonelands,” he adds, “and look forward to welcoming our REL community there in just four weeks’ time.”
The 2024 edition of REL, Lamir told Tone Deaf, was “squeaky clean” and enjoyed support from Queensland Police, Ambulance and Fire Department, and reported no arrests, ambulance transfers, and was “100% compliant” with its sound conditions.
That festival was also notable for the introduction of pill testing on site. That groundbreaking development made Queensland the first state to do so, with New South Wales and Victoria following suit, and the first camping fest in the country to enable guests to test their illicit drugs for purity.
