Maitreya Refund Latest Postponed Fest While 2016 Punters Forced To Wait For "New Event"

Promoters of Victoria's controversial Maitreya Festival have announced all punters who purchased tickets to the now-postponed March event have been refunded, however those who have still not been paid from the cancelled 2016 festival are yet to be reimbursed. 

In a statement posted to the festival Facebook page yesterday, promoters said 2016 ticket holders will instead gain free entry to a "new event" that is in the works and will supposedly go down later this year at Ancient Forest Ecolodge in Byron Bay.

"All 2017 tickets have now been REFUNDED through your bank account. This covers all tickets purchased for the 2017 event," the statement reads.

"If you are a ticket holder of the 2016 event PLEASE HOLD ON to your tickets, once we have a permit in hand these will be valid for the new event. 

"We are once again sorry for the hassles in planning, and assure you we are working towards getting permission to hold the event from all relevant authorities so we can present the festival to you in a safe and secure way later in the year."

Punters who purchased tickets to the 2016 festival were told they would not be issued refunds just weeks after it was cancelled.

Questions were already being asked about the new event after last year's debacle, which got the attention of local council and police, while Maitreya vendors also claimed to still be owed thousands of dollars.

The festival was also sued by its own ticketing company last June.

The 2017 festival was cancelled on 3 January, with promoters citing a need to "respect the concerns of the community for events that have ticked all the boxes and have all relevant approvals in place".

A new date for the postponed festival is yet to be announced.