Hundreds of Festival Attendees in Melbourne Forced to Sleep in Cars Following Heavy Rain

Hundreds of people who attended a live concert at the Geelong music festival were forced to sleep in their cars after being stranded in mud during the aftermath of a wild weather across the city of Melbourne and throughout Victoria, Australia.

The festival attendees found themselves standing above wet and sticky soil when the venue was abandoned during a night of heavy rain, hail storm, and damaging winds.

The popular music festival "A Day on the Green" was held at Mt. Duneed Estate near the city of Geelong, located southwest of Melbourne on Saturday evening, November 19.

The concert was reportedly attended by thousands of fans, wherein some were also forced to walk away from the concert on bare foot.

Tractors were also needed by the stranded concertgoers to move their vehicles in the mud.

Last week, Australia's Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) reported the occurrence of major flooding due to torrential rain in New South Wales and predicted that storms and showers were expected to return over the weekend across Southeast Australia.

Australian meteorologists attributed the La Nina weather phenomenon to be a contributing factor behind the renewed floodwaters in the Australian region.

Stranded in Mud

Some festivalgoers in Melbourne found their vehicles stuck in the mud when the adverse weather left as many as 16,000 concert attendees stranded on Saturday night.

One man even stated that he covered himself with grocery bags in his vehicle to stay warm as much as possible, 9 News Australia reported.

Meanwhile, the wild weather prompted emergency calls across the state.

Local authorities received 500 calls for help due to wild winds and they also launched rescue operations in response to flooded residents in Victoria with over 100 flood warnings in effect in New South Wales.

Outside the concert venue, storms and flash flooding submerged homes in Wentworth; where the NSW State Emergency Service (SES) received 255 calls for help.

In South Australia, thousands of establishments were left without power when the second storm in a week battered the state.

A Day on the Green

Organizers of the A Day on the Green event at Mt. Duneed Estate informed attendees prior to the start of the event that the show was safe to go ahead but issued a warning for people to bring or wear footwear or raincoat, according to ABC News.

They also said on-site parking is only restricted to four-wheel drives, prompting the organization of shuttle busses from designated drop-off and parking areas.

Following the chaotic mud stranding at the music festival, the BoM on Monday, November 21, said damaging winds, cold temperatures, and low-impact snow will hit multiple states across Australia such as New South Wales, Tasmania, Victoria, and South Australia due to a late-spring cold burst.

The inclement weather will also pave the way for dangerous weather hazards, especially for road and air travel due to reduced visibility caused by precipitation and turbulence caused by powerful winds.