Queenstown Mardi Gras concert cancelled over safety concerns after rain

Disappointed ticket holder Shikeya Sue outside World Bar in Queenstown where Mardi Gras wristbands were meant to be picked up. Photo / Shikeya Sue

Music festival organisers have announced the Queenstown Mardi Gras concert is unable to go ahead today just hours before it was supposed to begin.

Festival organisers Audiology posted to the official event's social media accounts to announce the cancellation, saying it was because of damage from heavy rain which resulted in a safety risk.

"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. The site damage from days of continuous rain is too severe, despite everything we tried to mitigate it."

The sold-out event was meant to start at 4pm today at Warren Park.

The cancellation post went on to say: "A round-table stakeholder meeting was held resulting in a unanimous decision that the event was unsafe to proceed - emergency services have said they could not access the site if required. Your safety has to be put first, always."

Audiology apologised for the cancellation and said it was organising a "bar takeover" where the acts that were meant to play at the festival would instead perform at a local bar.

Although ticket holders have been granted an automatic refund, many had already travelled for the event.