From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Splendour In The Grass is an annual music festival held in July at Belongil Fields, outside Byron Bay, New South Wales, Australia. Promoted by Village Sounds and Secret Service, the festival began in 2001 as one-day event and soon evolved into a two-day event in the following 2002 festival.

The 2005 festival sold out its 14,000 tickets in a record time of 26 hours. Soon after the sell-out, festival tickets that initially cost $125 were offered on eBay at inflated prices of up to $3000. Lawyers for the festival organisers responded by sending cease and desist letters to eBay and some 150 ticket resellers, citing a breach of the conditions of sale. However, eBay refused to block the ticket auctions, claiming it was the seller's responsibility to ensure that they have the ability and right to sell products. Radio station Triple J encouraged its listeners to sabotage the bidding process and disgruntled music fans responded, listing bogus bids of up to $1 million in protest against ticket scalping.

After much media coverage, the NSW Department of Fair Trading became involved in the issue and met with eBay representatives. The then Fair Trading Minister, John Hatzistergos, instructed the Office of Fair Trading to investigate the reselling of tickets and determine whether resellers were in breach of the Fair Trading Act. Festival promoters hope the investigation will result in changes to event ticketing by way of the introduction of anti-ticket scalping legislation.

In response to the events of 2005, organisers altered the ticketing system for the 2006 festival in the hope of stamping out ticket scalping. In an unprecedented move, ticket buyers were forced to register their name and date of birth at the time of purchase. These details were printed on the event tickets, which had to be provided with valid identification in order to gain admission to the festival. Tickets to the 2006 festival went on sale at 9AM on Monday 15 May 2006. All camping tickets to the weekend event sold out within three hours, and all general admission tickets sold out after 48 hours. The 2006 festival was held on the weekend of 22-23 July.

The 2007 festival will be held on the weekend of the 4-5 August.

Powderfinger, Michael Franti and Spearhead, 28 Days, Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, Frenzal Rhomb, Something for Kate, Magic Dirt, Sunk Loto, Resin Dogs, Pnau, Squarepusher, Endorphin, GT, Couchfunk DJs, King Kapisi, Superheist, george, DJ Ransom, 2 Dogs

Gomez, Grinspoon, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Bentley Rhythm Ace, Resin Dogs, george, Rocket Science, Gerling, 1200 Techniques, Jebediah, Dexter, Waikiki, Good Buddha, Katalyst, Fort, Cut Copy, Noodles, Drag, Kalliope, Supergrass, John Butler Trio, Doves, Spiderbait, Blackalicious, sonicanimation, Paul Mac, Machine Gun Fellatio, Krafty Kuts, Kid Kenobi, Offcutts, Bodyjar, One Dollar Short, Dan Brodie and the Broken Arrows, The Sleepy Jackson, Rhibosome, 2 Dogs

Coldplay, Placebo, Powderfinger, The Living End, Goldfrapp, The Music, Alpinestars, Jet, Magic Dirt, James de la Cruz, Veruca Salt, The Sleepy Jackson, Gerling, The Casanovas, Decoder Ring, Sarah Blasko, Ajax, The Bumblebeez, The Re-Mains, Overdub, Nick Taylor & Jackie Onassid, John Butler Trio, Death in Vegas, 1200 Techniques, Adam Freeland, The Superjesus, Katalyst, Richard Fearless, Frenzal Rhomb, Sunk Loto, The Fergusons, Screamfeeder, The Mess Hall, Ugly Duckling, Goodwill, Motion Man and Kutmasta Kurt, Downsyde, Ladytron

The Dissociatives, Fiery Furnaces, PJ Harvey, Dizzee Rascal, Dashboard Confessional, Jurassic 5, Spiderbait, MC5, Pete Murray, Franz Ferdinand, Ash, Xavier Rudd, Grinspoon, Electric Six, 1200 Techniques, Money Mark, Eskimo Joe, Snow Patrol, sonicanimation, Ozomatli, Ground components, Acre, The Tremors, Groove Dalley, Sneaky Sound System, Infusion, James De La Cruz, Bexta, The Herd, Slinky, Rocket Science, Hilltop Hoods, Katalyst, Cut Copy, Vanlustbader, DJ Peril

Queens Of The Stone Age, Moby, Ryan Adams, Interpol, Bloc Party, Finn Brothers, The Living End, After The Fall, Scribe, Beautiful Girls, Mercury Rev, Willy Mason, Shihad, Decoder Ring, Butterfingers, Sarah Blasko, The Grates, Atlantic, Doves, Futureheads, Har Mar Superstar, Hilltop Hoods, Athlete, Caribou, Drag, P-Money, Downsyde, Pnau, Cut Copy, Kid Confucius, Puss, Gerling (DJ Set), DJ Dexter, Katalyst, Strawberry Syme, Archie

Sonic Youth, Grinspoon, DJ Shadow, The Grates, Death Cab for Cutie, TV on the Radio, Augie March, The Avalanches (DJ set), Youth Group, Brittle Fex, Atmosphere, Paul Mac, Mogwai, Something for Kate, Dungen, Mos Def, Bob Evans, Tzu, Tex Perkins, Lior, Angus and Julia Stone, The Predators, Raz Bin Sam & The Lion I Band, Brian Wilson, Wolfmother, Scissor Sisters, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Jose Gonzalez, Snow Patrol, You Am I, Decoder Ring, The Presets, The Zutons, Matisyahu, Clare Bowditch & The Feeding Set, Pete Murray, Josh Pyke, Gerling, N'Fa, Van She, The Exploders, Andrew Morris, The Love Bus, Butterfingers, The Vines (Mystery Act)

(rumoured) Arctic Monkeys, The Kaiser Chiefs, The Cure, Bloc Party, The Shins, silverchair,

• Music fans bombard scalpers on website The Sydney Morning Herald, 13 May 2005.

• Splendour In The Grass Official Website