UNCERTAINTY surrounding security and logistics at this year's Spring in the Valley festival is leading some local operators to do their own private ticketed events, while others are boycotting the festival altogether.
UNCERTAINTY surrounding security and logistics at this year's Spring in the Valley festival is leading some local operators to do their own private ticketed events, while others are boycotting the festival altogether.
The event, organised by the Swan Valley Tourism Council, is scheduled to take place over the weekend of October 10 and 11, but some operators, such as Little River Winery, are shutting their cellar doors in protest at the antisocial behaviour experienced each year.
Meanwhile, wineries including Upper Reach Winery and Jane Brook Estate are following the lead of more established wineries in the region, including Sandalford, Houghton Winery and Lamont's, in running a private ticketed event at a set price for a limited number of patrons to ensure control can be maintained.
Little River Winery and Café owner Jan de Tastes will not be opening her winery this year but will keep her cafe open to ensure some of her staff can earn a wage on the busy weekend.
"The shire (of Swan) needs to protect the viticulture or you won't have a valley," Mrs de Tastes said.
"Spring in the Valley is taking viticulture away from the valley - it's becoming a Northbridge swill."
Mrs de Tastes says current festival patrons are totally different from those of several years ago.
"The festival is an insult to those who really should be coming and now can't come," she says.
Although Mrs de Tastes has raised the possibility of suing the council for loss of income over the weekend, she believes the answer may lie in separate festivals for different demographics.
"We're making the stand and are suffering fiscally, I'm outraged to suffer fiscally," she told Business Class.
"Instead, everyone should have their own specialised festival for food, beer and wine over consecutive weekends."
At the end of June, the council scrapped plans for a levy of $3 per seat per day on bus and coach operators as a method for controlling unruly behaviour after transport companies opposed the move.
In its place, the council's executive officer, Geraldine Riggir, has instituted a $5 "Valley Pass" or entry fee for every patron, which can be bought through Ticketmaster.
Mrs Riggir, however, has concerns about managing this process.
Sandalford chief executive Grant Brinklow agrees with Mrs de Tastes that the festival has suffered at the hands of "adult schoolies", and similarly can't understand how the 'bizarre' new $5 charge will be policed. Not that he thinks boycotting the event is the answer.
"Venues like us will charge a separate entry fee to our own venue ... but over and above that there's this Ticketmaster ticket that people are required to purchase," Mr Brinklow says.
"The problem, as we've said to the tourism council, is who is actually policing that?"
Mr Brinklow preferred the original bus levy plan as it gave coach operators more control and was easier to police, which he cites as paramount for ensuring a safe event.
Ms Riggir doesn't know if the new system will work but she's confident the bus drivers and venues alike will police the $5 tickets.
"There's only a small percentage of the 70,000 people across the weekend that cause problems," she says.
"We're not looking at a train smash, it's not like Northbridge.
"Last year we thought about bringing in a $10 fee but it didn't happen, so we brought in the Valley Pass, three dollars of which will go to the council and the remainder to Ticketmaster."
