Australia's Rainbow Serpent festival bans laughing gas

Australia's Rainbow Serpent festival has banned the use of laughing gas (nos, nangs, balloons) ahead of its 2018 event.

Posting to Facebook, organisers of the environmentally sustainable festival wrote: "We have tried since 2012 to encourage patrons away from using nos by banning it from the festival area.

"It is just not cool to stumble on empty bulbs left on the ground. In addition to being a safety hazard, nos also increases the amount of rubbish we accumulate for landfill. These bulbs are not recyclable due to danger of explosion and the empty boxes, balloons and cartridges are left everywhere.

"The fact is patrons have ignored our pleas so we are unfortunately enforcing a complete nos ban in 2018 and we will confiscate any bulbs or paraphernalia found without exception. We ask that you please consider the environmental impact and support us in 2018."

Organisers have also asked festival-goers to "lay off the glitter" due to the impact of microplastics on the environment. A spokesperson pointed out there were environmentally friendly glitter options available.

The festival kicks off January 26, running through till January 29 at Lexton, Victoria, a few hours' drive from Melbourne. Robert Babicz, The Librarian, Gabriel Ananda, Michael Mayer, Miss Melera and Tara Brooks are among the artists playing this year. Read our review from last year.

Scott Carbines is Mixmag's Australian Digital Content Editor, follow him on Twitter