You may remember from earlier this month the drama that engulfed the Secret Sessions Festival when The Gold Coast Bulletin ran a story claiming beloved bush rave had been canceled due to security concerns. ITM can now confirm the festival is indeed going ahead – just at a different venue, the Landcruiser Mountain Park in Jimna which is 2-hours North West of Brisbane.

“Unfortunately the event will not be held at Numinbah Valley this year, so please follow the new directions to the site carefully and advise any of your friends of the site change if they are not already aware,” the organisers said in a statement. “Landcruiser Mountain Park is fully equipped with fantastic amenities including flushing toilets, hot showers, ample camping area, an amphitheatre main stage and loads of space.”

The Gold Coast Bulletin’s story a few weeks ago incited fury with its claims the festival had been canceled by the council because of the site’s proximity to a neighboring prison farm, due to fears the loud music from the festival would incite unrest in the prisoners. However, the story’s claims were met with a resounding ‘NO’ from the organisers. “Secret Sessions will go ahead from the 9th to the 11th of October as we have done every year for the past 5 years! The journalist Leah Fineran who took it upon herself to write this incorrect statement will burn in hell forever!” Yikes!

The messages in the media have been a little confused since then, with the organisers crying foul over claims they had failed to go through the proper council red tape before putting tickets on sale, emphasizing the ‘family-friendly’ nature of their event as well as claiming they’d been inundated with support from local residents since the Gold Coast Bulletin story was published.

The Brisbane Times claimed on the weekend Secret Sessions was planning on pushing ahead in the Numinbah Valley without a permit, but it’s now looking like they’ll be recreating the vibes of the past few years in a different, but equally pristine location.

Secret Sessions Festival 2009 takes place in the Landcruiser Mountain Park from Friday 9th October to Sunday 11th October.