Keegan Thornbury and Kathryn Sennett were among 9000 revellers to have their celebrations ruined when organisers abruptly cancelled the event.

Promoters One Cube Entertainment gave ticket holders – many of whom had travelled hundreds of kilometres to Sydney for the event – just six hours notice of the decision.

It meant Mr Thornbury and Miss Sennett were forced to honour a $450 one-night hotel booking when they could have spent the special evening with family and friends.

“We were very unhappy,” he said. “Obviously they would have known they had these issues at least the day before and we would have been able to cancel our hotel.

“I did call the hotel and they said they had a lot of people trying to call then because our room was only about 10 minutes from Wet’n’Wild and others were going to the event. But unfortunately they have a 24-hour cancellation policy and they said there was nothing they could do.”

One Cube Entertainment, which copped a torrent of abuse on social media from livid ticket holders, has rescheduled the event for Australia Day.

With both Mr Keegan, 22, and Miss Sennett, 21, locked in to work on the 26th, they will be seeking a refund on their $208 tickets.

But there will be no refund for the $100 they wasted on petrol making the eight-hour return trip between Tamworth and Sydney. Nor will they be compensated for the $200 they spent on clothes – having only packed swimwear – to make themselves presentable for a night out in Sydney.

The event, which was billed as Australia’s first-ever (music) festival to be held at a water theme park, was cancelled due to “production issues”.

Mr Thornbury said although the fault lay predominantly with One Cube Entertainment, Wet’n’Wild must take some responsibility.

“I’m not sure I’d ever go back,” he said. “I’d rather go to the Gold Coast and see all the parks than go there and get messed around again.”