In a turn of events surprising to, oh… someone’s gotta be surprised about it I guess, Woodford Folk Festival‘s new cashless payment system has hit something of a hurdle: patrons are leaving the festival without cashing out their credit.
The cashless system, consisting of wristbands that punters could top up at certain points around the festival site, caused some consternation from day one. Many festival goers complained of long lines at top-up points, and more long lines at the bars while staff struggled with new technology.
This particular speed bump, however, was unanticipated. Punters had the option to cash out the remaining unused credit on their wristbands, but a surprising number haven’t done so. And we’re not talking Maccas $2 menu amounts, either, according to festival director Bill Hauritz:
“A few of the deposits are larger than we expected and not just ‘loose change’, as was the case with the former drink tickets currency.“
Some of the unclaimed credit amounts are so high, in fact, that the festival has set up an online portal through which anyone with outstanding credit can get a refund. They’ll need to enter their wristband code in order to receive a refund, which will be processed in bulk on January 20.
Unfortunately, you’ll actually need, you know, your wristband in order to use the portal. For those who’ve already chucked theirs away (I can hear your lamentations already), rest assured Hauritz will make sure that your leftover beer money goes to a good cause:
“[Unclaimed funds] will go towards the building of a large shade house for all our plants along with a propagation area for new seedlings to help re-vegetate Woodfordia.”
A large shade house AND a propagation area? That’s a lot of people glancing at their wrists when they’re halfway down the Sunshine Coast highway and going, “Oh, SHIT.”
It might not be my place to say it, but it does strike me as a strange idea to introduce a cutting-edge technology like the “wristpos” system to a festival whose major drawcard is that it is a Place Outside Time. And frequented by people whose memories are, maybe, slightly compromised by the activities they undertake while on festival grounds. And run by what could uncharitably but accurately be called a committee of moneyed, good-natured, out-of-touch hippies. Just an observation.
Grab your Woodford wristie refund right here – and yes, in another bit of inexplicable but harmless eccentricity, the site is hosted in New Zealand. Stay weird, Woodford!
Source and image: ABC.
