Laneway Festival Issues Statement About Prohibited Items After Makeup, Sunscreen Confiscated
"We want to extend our sincere apologies for any inconvenience caused."
Laneway Festival Brisbane (Credit: Bianca Holderness)
Laneway Festival organisers have responded to complaints and punter concerns after attendees alleged that items including makeup, sunscreen and deodorant were confiscated at the Sydney edition of the festival on Sunday (4 February).
Writing comments on the event’s Instagram posts as the Sydney date went on, one punter claimed, “You took our sunscreen because you provided cheap grocery store branded inside”, while another alleged that security officers at Laneway “took my Charlotte Tilbury lippie”.
More punters flooded the comments section, writing, “Tell us we can’t bring in lip balm and perfume to smell and look good for @raye before we get there then ???????”
In response to Laneway’s social media prompt about fans’ highlights of the day, the comments came in: “Probs getting my lipgloss perfume deodorant and sunscreen confiscated”, “Getting my deodorant taken off me then not offering an alternative”.
Another attendee offered their experience: “My review: you have a prohibited item list, but when you go to the queue, go enter the festival, you are told you’re not allowed in if you have powdered makeup, lipgloss, chewing gum or sunscreen, STUPID.”
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A parent expressed concern on Facebook, writing that their daughter was treated “appallingly” on arrival. According to the post, their daughter “Had to empty everything from their bags and had lipstick, perfume, makeup all taken away as they are apparently counted as liquid and thrown in a bin.”
Laneway Festival organisers are aware of the concerns mentioned by attendees and have issued a statement. As well as responding to the claims of confiscated items on entry, Laneway Festival organisers have shared a link to the ‘On The Day’ tab for the Sydney edition of the event, which does list prohibited liquid items, including deodorant, sunscreen and liquid makeup.
“Our prohibited items list is city-specific and bound by the rules set by our venues in each city, not by Laneway Festival itself,” festival organisers said in a statement. “Sydney Showground does not allow liquids, including sunscreen, liquid makeup and liquid deodorant.”
They added, “We’ve been made aware of a handful of instances where non-liquid makeup was not allowed entry. We want to extend our sincere apologies for any inconvenience caused. Our security team is made up of a dedicated contractor workforce, which means occasional mistakes can happen.
“No one likes to part with their favourite product — we know it’s frustrating, and we share their sentiment. We ask fans to read our prohibited items list on the website thoroughly to avoid any hiccups and pass on any feedback to us so that we can troubleshoot with security on the day if required.”
All Laneway Festival sites have Sunscreen Stations, Free Drinking Water points, bars and Low Sensory Chill Spaces.
Laneway Festival has already hit Brisbane (Meanjin), Sydney (Eora) and Auckland (Tāmaki Makaurau). The rolling music event continues on Friday in Adelaide (Kaurna) before heading to Melbourne (Naarm) and Perth (Boorloo) this weekend.
Laneway Festival 2024 is headlined by Stormzy, Steve Lacy and Dominic Fike. You can find the set times and more information here.
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