It was a decision that received a whole bunch of untoward attention from the mainstream and tabloid media (read about it HERE), but today we can confirm that dance parties will keep on rocking at Victoria’s Kryal Castle. In the face of controversy over a spate of drug overdoses at the Ultraworld event earlier this month, News.com.au reports the Moorabool Shire Council has voted to allow dance parties to remain. However, they’ll be putting a request through to the Victorian Civil Administrative Tribunal that permits be amended in order to tighten safety controls at the venue.

Dianne McAuliffe, mayor of Moorabool, has defended the council’s decision to allow dance parties to stay, conceding that such events will always be popular and that it was better to have a closely monitored event than to potentially encourage illegal and unmonitored parties out in the shire’s forest areas.

“I appreciate the view of the total ban,” she said. “There was a no-win situation for council last night. Someone was going to be upset or disappointed with what was being decided. While raves are certainly not an ideal event, they are always going to happen … but a controlled event is a far safer event.”

So for the moment, dance parties will continue at Kryal Castle, though it’s unclear what will happen when the three-year contract with the venue runs out next year. The next installment of the Universe event is scheduled to go ahead on February 23rd, and what is certain is that the punters and promoters will be under a whole lot more scrutiny, from both media and authorities alike.