‘Could’ve Gone to Europe Instead’: Festival-goers’ Esoteric Journey Ends in Chaos

In a disappointing turn of events, music fans found themselves stranded on a dirt road in regional Victoria, only to learn that the highly anticipated Esoteric festival had been cancelled. Among these festival-goers was Trent Harris-Maher, who, along with his fiancée, felt an overwhelming sense of frustration.

Earlier that day, Trent had boarded a festival-organized bus with about 50 other eager attendees. The bus ride from Melbourne to the small town of Donald was nearly four hours long, and the uncomfortably warm conditions made the situation worse due to a broken air-conditioning system.

By the time they reached the festival gates at around 3:30 PM on Thursday, the couple was excited to enter the festival, having paid a significant amount for early entry tickets. Unfortunately, they were met with disappointment as the gates remained closed well past their expected entry time of noon, leaving many festival-goers without food, water, or shade.

"We unpacked all the bus with all of our belongings, and then … we were just sitting on the side of the road," Trent Harris-Maher, a 28-year-old from Sydney, recalled. As the heat intensified, attendees tried to stay comfortable by sitting on their luggage or makeshift chairs, but tensions began to rise.

As time dragged on, frustration morphed into anger. By 5 PM, some people resorted to alcohol to cope with the situation. "People were getting more violent and more angry towards the whole situation," Harris-Maher mentioned.

It was not until 7:30 PM that the festival organizer, Sam Goldsmith, announced the cancellation of the five-day Esoteric Psychedelic Circus Festival. He delivered the news through a megaphone, much to the shock and dismay of the thousands of attendees eager to join the festivities.

Many in the crowd were devastated. Some cried, while others shouted their disbelief and anger at the situation. "There were people yelling, saying, ‘What the f--- is this? How can you do that? It’s so immoral,’" Harris-Maher said, reflecting on the disappointment felt by many.

Feeling nervous about being stranded, Harris-Maher and his fiancée sought options for leaving the site. They were told that the bus they had arrived on would not return for hours, prompting them to find alternative transportation. They ended up staying overnight at a local campground and paid $800 for a private transfer back to Melbourne the following day.

In total, Harris-Maher calculated that their trip to the festival cost around $5000, including a night in Melbourne. "We could’ve gone to Europe instead … it’s a big hit financially," he stated. He felt that the organizers should have made better arrangements in light of the cancellation warning.

Many other festival-goers echoed similar sentiments, as expressed in numerous online posts. Some attendees highlighted the significant financial loss and the effort it took to travel from various parts of Australia and even overseas for this event. One user wrote, "The financial loss is devastating to some ... people come to Donald for this event from across the globe."

As frustration continued to mount, some placed the blame on the Buloke Shire Council for not properly approving the festival. In fact, council officers previously recommended denying the planning permit for the upcoming 2025 festival due to safety concerns. Although some council members voted to allow it, the application for an occupancy permit was ultimately refused.

Despite the chaos, festival organizers offered refunds to ticket holders and presented an option to retain tickets for the future event in 2026. An additional consolation event was announced in Melbourne but failed to meet the needs of those affected, including Harris-Maher and his fiancée, who just wanted to return home.

“It was just so sad and disappointing. We just wanted to go home and cut our losses,” Harris-Maher concluded.

festival, chaos, disappointment