People who bought two-day tickets for Vanfest will get 75 per cent of their money back after the second day of the music festival was washed out.
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Forbes Shire Council has announced it has finalised its negotiations with the Vanfest insurers.
Final figures were secured on Tuesday evening after a protracted and detailed claim lodged and negotiated by Forbes Shire Council, Council said in a press release.
The refund details are:
Two-day ticket holders will receive a 75 per cent refund;
Saturday-only and bus (Saturday only) ticket holders will receive a 100 per cent refund;
Fifty per cent of camping sales will be refunded.
Forbes Shire Council general manager Steve Loane described the outcome as “excellent”.
“This is an excellent outcome for Vanfest ticket holders as the industry standard for reimbursement usually stands at 50 per cent,” Mr Loane said.
“To then secure a minimum of an additional 25 per cent for tickets holders is phenomenal and it demonstrates how hard Forbes Shire Council worked to secure substantial refunds for all Vanfest ticket holders.”
Ticketbooth has advised once the funds have been received it may take up to ten working days for refunds to be distributed as it is dependent on financial institutions.
“We really appreciate everyone’s interest and patience with this and consider this a definite win for Vanfest patrons,” Mr Loane said.
Severe weather prevented Saturday’s key acts from taking to the stage on the second day of the annual music festival at Forbes Showground last December.
An estimated 6000 people had been on site on Friday night to hear artists including Amy Shark, but the rain started and didn’t stop.
The campground was awash and campers had to be escorted off the site, bringing Vanfest 2017 to an early halt.
Whether or not ticket holders would get a refund – and how much that refund would be - was one of the key issues raised at a public meeting Forbes Shire Council held about the festival last month.
2017 was the first year of a three-year lease Forbes Shire Council signed with the event, founded in 2014 by Matt and Grant Clifton.
External auditors are looking at all facets of Vanfest 2017, such as ticket sales, short and long-term community benefit.
Councillors expect to receive and consider the audit at their March meeting.
