This year’s popular Mardi Gras music festival in Queenstown has been cancelled last minute, after severe weather damage to the site.
A group of friends all dressed up for the cancelled Mardi Gras festival
Source: Supplied
The dress-up event was due to take place at Warren Park today at 4pm.
“This is going to come as a massive shock due to the current weather clearing up, however we are having to cancel the festival this evening,” event organiser Audiology said in an email to customers this afternoon,” festival organisers said in an announcement this afternoon. 
“The site damage from days of continuous rain is too severe, despite everything we tried to mitigate it.”
The decision was made to cancel the event during a meeting today after emergency services informed the group they would be unable to access the site if required.
A group of students who travelled from Dunedin for the event, like many, are now all dressed up with no where to go. 
Hannah and Josh dressed as Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy from TV show Spongebob Squarepants for Mardi Gras
Source: Supplied
They say they were ready to go no matter the weather and are disappointed with the last minute cancellation this afternoon. 
“They told us last night on the Facebook page to have our gumboots ready, so we had no idea it would be cancelled,” says Hannah Childs. 
“They can refund the tickets but they can’t refund the expenses we’ve paid to be here.” 
Festival refunds will be automatically processed for customers. Full refunds for people with wristbands are available online at wayver.co.nz and onsite at World Bar, on Church Street.