A ‘No shirts off’ policy is being credited with reducing rates of violence and disorderly conduct — i.e. festival douchebaggery — at Darwin music event Summer Session, which even put up “no shirt no entry” signs at the entrance to the festival.
As NT News reports, the annual event saw around 5,000 punters take to Darwin’s Mindil Beach on Saturday, 6th June, and organisers believe the crowd’s good behaviour was partly thanks to a crackdown on shirtless festival-goers.
Amanda Pernechele, Summer Session marketing manager, has said punters behaved themselves thanks to the event’s ‘No shirts off’ policy.
“I think it was to do with our rules that shirts have to stay on. The event organiser Guy Dunne is massive on not making a music festival about meat heads and about throwing out anyone without a shirt,” Ms Pernechele said.
“There were signs everywhere saying ‘no shirt no entry’ and it really changed it and made it more about the music. It seemed like there was so much love in the crowd.”
Ms Pernechele said the no-shirt festival trend is often a “testosterone thing”. “A lot of these gym-goers and that sort of thing love showing off their big muscles and that’s great but just do it from under a singlet,” she said.
In a post to Facebook (below), Northern Territory Police say 23 MDMA tablets were seized at this year’s Summer Session, with seven people issued with a Notice to Appear for drug possession and nine arrested for disorderly behaviour and fighting.
NT Police say they “were generally happy with the crowd behaviour” otherwise.
The Northern Territory Police were generally happy with the crowd behaviour at the 2015 Summer Sessions. Nine people...
Posted by Northern Territory Police Force on Saturday, 6 June 2015
