A local music festival promoter has claimed that their vehicles were set on fire after weeks of threats on social media relating to the booking of Israeli DJs for the events.
In a statement over the weekend, the promoter for the Frequency Forest dance and camping festival said that due to the alleged threats and incident, they were forced to remove the artists from the line-ups on “safety grounds”.
“Regardless of anyone’s views on the current situation internationally, as a promoter I cannot knowingly put the safety of our patrons, artists, or staff at risk. We respect the right of people to peacefully protest, express their views, or choose not to attend an event. What we cannot accept are threats, intimidation, or violence,” they said.
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“This is not a decision we wanted to make. However, after weeks of escalating threats, our responsibility has to be to the safety of everyone attending and working at our events.”
NSW police confirmed to Rolling Stone AU/NZ that an investigation is underway relating to a threatening email, however, they did not confirm the claims made about the promoter’s vehicles.
“On Wednesday 16 September 2026, officers attached to Port Stephens-Hunter Police District commenced an investigation following reports of a threatening email being sent to a showground in Maitland regarding a music festival,” police said.
Frequency Forest, which first launched in 2024, was scheduled to go ahead in Maitland this weekend; however, as “an additional safety measure,” it has relocated to multiple club shows in Sydney. Click here for more details.
