It will now cost you $50 each day to park your car at Byron Bay Bluesfest from 2019, one of the biggest changes at the festival in 30 years.
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Bluesfest organisers have decided to impose paid parking from 2019 in an attempt to reduce the festival carbon footprint. Until now, parking was free.
The Byron Bay Bluesfest – held in a 120-hectare tea tree forest beside the Pacific Highway in northern New South Wales – has six huge paddocks of cars to cope with the parking demand as well as fleets of buses from nearby locations.
It attracts more than 100,000 people over the five-day festival, with the majority of people coming on multiple days.
If a daily parking ticket is bought online in advance of the festival in April 2019, it will cost $25 per day.
All cars entering the site will from 2019 need to buy a vehicle pass.
The parking fee does not applies to people who are camping at the 2019 festival and do not move their car during the five-day festival.
There is information about the decision on the Bluesfest website here.
The festival is also banning plastic straws from 2019, similar to a range of public events.
The major change was announced to ticket-holders by email on Wednesday morning.
“In recent years, Bluesfest Byron Bay has ramped up our efforts to reduce our carbon footprint,” the advice reads.
“This year we're aiming to significantly reduce our landfill diversion and reduce our impact on the spectacular environment that is the Tyagarah Tea Farm and our greater surrounds in northern NSW.
“The introduction of paid parking is to reduce our carbon footprint in 2019.
“We're encouraging festival-goers to carpool or to check out our improved public transport options.”
The Bluesfest website now includes a selection to buy the tickets online.
People will have to display their parking pass when they arrive, however parking delays are inevitable as many will be unaware of the parking fee and will try to pay as they arrive.
The advice confirms the price, shown as "Tickets purchased in advance online: Daily parking $25. Tickets purchased onsite: $50 daily."
The festival organisers have promised to speak with local bus operators to offer more frequent buses to and from the festival to cater for the extra people catching public transport.
Buses now come from several towns to the north and south of the festival.
They will also add a new route direct from the Gold Coast Airport.
The Byron Bay Bluesfest is a member of the international body A Greener Festival, which tries to implement green energy ideas at festivals throughout the world.
Bluesfest has won six categories at this organisation in previous years.
Brisbane Times has contacted Bluesfest organisers for comment.
Woodford Folk Festival, near Caboolture, introduced paid parking in 2018. It costs $50 to bring a car inside the festival site to stay beside your tent site – for as many days as you camp – but $10 to park in the festival car park outside the season camping areas, general manager Amanda Jackes said.
The Bluesfest marks its 30th anniversary in 2019, featuring headline artists Iggy Pop, Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals, Paul Kelly and the final shows of funk pioneers, George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic.
