You might have been tuned in to last week’s storming controversy over Victoria’s Ultraworld event, the fallout of which saw the ITM forums questionably quoted in tabloid daily the Herald Sun in the same breath as the publication provocatively asking its readers ‘should rave parties be banned?’ (read about the ruckus HERE). It’s looking like that may just come true after all, with reports indicating Moorabool Shire Council is moving to revoke the Kryal Castle’s venue permit.

According to the Herald Sun, Moorabool Shire Council will put the future of dance parties at the theme park castle to a vote this Wednesday night. Councilors will then decide whether to make an appeal to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Appeals Tribunal to prevent the planned Universe dance party taking place at the venue this coming February. Di McAuliffe, Mayor of the Moorabool Shire, claims there is a feeling that something needs to be done about the events. “Nobody likes to open the newspaper and read about overdoses,” she said. “There’s no point hiding under a rock. We need to do something.”

But according to The West Australian last week, the owners of the medieval tourist attraction near Ballarat are standing firm on the events held there. According to Brian Whykes, an adviser to Kryal Castle, the venue is under a three year contract with organisers and there’s one year left to run. “So unless someone says we can’t have them and tells the organisers, we are committed, otherwise we are breaking the contract and are liable,” Whykes said.

It wraps up a far from positive week when it comes to mainstream media’s representation of dance culture, with drug use and overdoses back in the spotlight and newspaper headlines claiming the ‘rave party’ was like a ‘war zone’. Will this be the end of events at Kryal Castle? Stay tuned to ITM for the verdict.