Festival flop is all too familiar

DANAELLA WIVELL celled. She said she found a Facebook group dedicated to people who had refunds withheld by Ms Dewanji.

“I paid a $250 stallholding fee. That’s a lot less than some people, who paid $300 or $400 fees,” she said.

“I reached out to people in that group and asked them if the event had gone ahead. They said ‘no’ and they hadn’t gotten refunds from it.

“The venue for those markets had changed three times.”

Initially the colour festival was to be held at the Cairns Showground but show association secretary-manager Victoria Crosby said many deadlines for the hire fee, the event management plan and the public liability insurance were ignored. “We worked very hard to get this event up and running,” she said.

Ms Dewanji said it was true her market, organised under the name Riya Deniau, had failed in the past, which is why she used the new name Liril Dewanji when organising the colour festival. “I decided to leave the markets because they gave a bad name to me and my family,” she said.

“The only person losing out on this is me. There are only two sets of people who should be nervous about the festival going ahead: the vendors and me. If anyone else is nervous then I really don’t care.”

After being contacted by the Cairns Post Ms Dewanji said all refunds for ticketholders and vendors should arrive by next week at the latest.