Australian festival Strawberry Fields has been forced to cancel its 2022 edition due to flooding in the local area. Scheduled from October 28th through 30th, the New South Wales event can't go ahead as the Murray River is higher than the team has seen it in a decade. Additionally, the ongoing La Niña—a climate cycle that cools parts of the Pacific Ocean—means there's a high risk of more heavy rainfall in the coming weeks. In a statement, the co-directors explained that critical access and entertainment areas are currently metres underwater. "At this stage it's not possible to commence event construction or be confident at all that the festival can safely take place," they said. "After consultation with our critical local stakeholders and emergency services, and with insufficient time to secure an alternative venue, we have been left with no alternative but to cancel." In Strawberry Fields' absence, the team has organised two shows in Melbourne. On October 28th at The Night Cat, Mali blues act Tamikrest will perform, followed by Moodymann and TBA guests at Cup Eve warehouse on October 31st. More details about the cancellation, refund policy and replacement events can be found on the festival's website. The organisers are asking ticket holders to hold onto their tickets until 2023 if they're in a position to do so. This year's Strawberry Fields was set to host the likes of Ash Lauryn, DJ Python and Egyptian Lover, as well as a Resident Advisor takeover including Roza Terenzi, EFFY, dj pgz and Sassy J.
