Not so sure about Foreshore

It had been raining. We’d been warned that it would continue to rain. Everywhere, shops were sold out of plastic ponchos. I remained hopeful that the weather would clear and we’d have a great and just slightly damp day, while T2 remained a bit more sceptical. But, being Foreshore veterans, there was no way we weren’t going. And, we both turned about to be right about the weather…

I woke up the morning of Foreshore to go to a dreaded exam. There were dark clouds and it was spitting, and I was rugged up in a jumper and ugg boots. But, on the other side of the three hour time warp that is an exam, there was a miracle: sunshine! And heat! And the ground was relatively dry! Amazing. It was time to forget about the exam and put on some summer appropriate clothes!

Foreshore is a music festival which claims all kinds of fans with a number of stages, and a big open area. Some of the big artists this year were LMFAO, Gotye, Boy and Bear, and even Salt n Pepa! It was a line up to get excited about, and we’d bought out tickets mid-year. But, that’s not where the costs stop. Music festivals are synonymous with exorbitantly priced drinks and Foreshore is no different, so we had a few pre-drinks beforehand before heading down to Parkes with our tickets in hand.

Foreshore is named so because it used to be held on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin, but in 2010 it moved further away and up behind some of the Departments in Parkes.  It’s kind of bizarre to be dancing away to a band while the Treasury building looms behind the stage, but kinda cool in that geeky public servant kinda way. You certainly don’t get that sort of architecture at any other music festival!

My excitement certainly waned – I was disappointed to see that they still had the very bizarre 108 (okay probably more like 3, but it was a lot) stations that you had to walk quite a distance between where they check your ticket at one, check your bags at the next and then give you your 18+ card at the final. Surely this could be fixed. On our way through, there was already a girl so drunk she was passing out outside the festival.

LMFAO exciting the crowd

We got through to LMFAO first and they did not disappoint. T2 had to give me quite a musical education on the band (even though they had one of You Tube’s most watched vids for 2011!) but I thoroughly enjoyed the energy of the set. And underneath the tent was sweltering! We were thankful that a light breeze had picked up (yep, you know where this is going).

I think the layout of Foreshore is what serves it best. There’s so much going on and whatever you choose to experience you can do so right up close or further away at your own pace. If you want to take a break from the bands you can go for a stroll and check out a number of stalls they have going on, and the setting really is picturesque. The bands that we saw that afternoon really did the festival justice. And, the offerings of food were great. Well, maybe they weren’t extensive, but the kransky and sauerkraut I got totally hit the spot (and wasn’t stupidly priced!).

Stupidly long lines for the bathrooms

The drinks lines weren’t too bad, but they still weren’t “non-existent” as I’d seen promised elsewhere. While I understand that drinks are going to be expensive, most festivals also try to

Stunning Spring day... but not for long.

have a pretty effective system of where you return your can and get a discount. There were plenty of cans around the festival, so a lot of people were picking up many of them and cradling them uneasily in their arms. You had to go to a separate booth (of which there was only one operating, and operating very slowly at that) to have these cans counted and receive the chips for your discount, and then go back to stand in another line to get served your drink! Absolutely ridiculous.

Saturated!

And, it was while we were trying to achieve this that we got caught in an absolute downpour. There were plenty of places to go hide under, yes, but the beauty of the layout that I mentioned before was also what got us – there was no where we could shelter quickly, and we got terribly saturated.

In retrospect, it was quite funny. But, nearing our mid-20s (ie ‘getting old’), wearing our summer clothes and it not being a summer shower but rather quite cold rain, we both got over it

The sexy men from Jinja Safari

pretty quickly. I remained desperate to see my favourite band (Jinja Safari), but we agreed that afterwards it would probably be a good time to go home.

Jinja Safari, to their credit, killed it in the Tiki Terrace venue – which was warm and sheltered. I’d seen them just two weeks beforehand at the Metro Theatre in Sydney, and was pleased that they did just as well – probably even better – in a smaller setting. I was very pleased we stayed…

… but just as pleased to leave when we did. When we emerged from the Tiki Terrace, it was still cold and everything was wet and messy. My thonged feet quickly got smothered in mud and it was very slippery – I can see how it would have been a lot of fun, but all we could think was that it was cold and wet and while we were a bit warmer, we were still very damp. And to be honest, the crowds had really thinned out.

And in the de-brief with workmates the Monday morning, it seems that the crowds thinning out hadn’t been my imagination – many people had left because of the weather well before we did.

A bit damp

So, while Foreshore is a great day out, it’s truly a summer’s day out – as long as that’s in the equation, it’s a beauty of a day.

Worthwhile factor: Worthwhile – only if it’s sunny!

Cost: $99 each + pricey drinks

Where: ‘Foreshore’, Lake Burley Griffin

Want more: http://www.foreshorefestival.com.au

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