Exams were finished. Spring was springing. Last year's party was balmy, and ticket sales had apparently been really strong. So it was with a sinking feeling that I drove towards Ballarat in the trusty Xena, through rain so heavy and driving that it literally blinded me on a couple of occasions. I mean, the forecast had been for cold and scattered showers, so we'd brought lots of clothes, but this was just nasty. Unfortunately, it was to come and go all the way through the night.
But, as is often the way, even the awful weather had an upside. Kryal Castle (arguably the best party venue I've ever been to, even on a clear warm night) spent the entire night shrouded in thick fog. Lights glowed eerily, and lasers sparkled emerald green as they bounced off swirling droplets, lending everything a magical air that even the biti ng cold couldn't dispel. People congregated in groups wherever there was warmth and dry air, giving all of the rooms (and nooks and verandahs) a cosy feeling that made for a very sociable atmosphere. I met a lot of new people just huddling around for a ciggie, which is always nice.
The warmth factor meant there was often not much space to dance inside, but during the gaps in the rain the main stage was spacious enough to really cut loose. My beloved floor from last year was absent, but I heard from the setup crew that they'd actually set it up earlier, and had to dismantle it because they kept falling over. It was replaced by a springy rubber surface, which wasn't quite so cool but was still slippy enough once it got wet.
Musically, there wasn't so much a standout act as pretty consistent offerings everywhere. I spent much of the night in the techno arena (if you know me, you know that tek really isn't my thing) because whenever I went in there there was something fun going on, but the same could be said of all the rooms mostly, I suppose. Myself and others felt that the best music was actually in the Beats Working playground, but as usual, it was outdoors and not nearly loud enough. Plus I don't dance too well to breakbeats - my fault, not theirs.
Had, as usual at Kryal, some of the best times in the carpark. The answer to the age old question "How many people can you fit in a Hyundai Excel?" was answered pretty comprehensively by toots. I sang like Kermit the frog. Snarf hurled. Tarkers tripped out. Yay the carpark.
All in all, a very satisfying night, if not for the fainthearted.
[edit: I heard about the comps-going-missing fiasco. That's really, truly fucked. I also heard a lot of promoters had to
pay door prices to get in. If I was them, I'd be hassling Oracle for their money back

]
[edit 2: this kind of surprise is one of many reasons I, while nominally on the promoter list, just went out and bought an industry.]