GUMBOOTS and plastic ponchos were in scarce supply across the ACT yesterday morning as party-goers prepared for a day of music and mud at the Foreshore festival.
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Retailers reported a surge of wet weather gear sales, with stores starting to sell out of gumboots just hours after Canberra-based organisers Kicks Entertainment announced a sell-out crowd for the fifth-straight year.
At 10pm on Friday, a Kmart Belconnen employee told the Sunday Canberra Times every shop that stocked gumboots in the shopping centre had sold out, with plastic ponchos also popular with punters.
Westfield Woden suffered a similar shortage, while Bunnings stores across the ACT said gumboots in women's sizes sold out quickly, with many female customers resorting to boots several sizes too big in desperation yesterday morning.
By 11am, women were trying to squeeze into four remaining pairs of children's gumboots at Target in the Canberra Centre, as men made do with basic canvas shoes and reef-walkers that would leave feet wet, but well ventilated.
Visiting US act Salt-N-Pepa, who were pioneer women rappers in the 1990s, were one of the few acts to enjoy sunshine throughout their performance.
Speaking to the Sunday Canberra Times backstage, Salt said she was enjoying her time in the capital and was thrilled by the audience's response.
''It's a beautiful town you have here,'' she said. ''We've had a wonderful time, there's so many great people here in Australia and it's such a nice place.''
As early rain cleared and the clouds over Canberra parted, deep puddles of water from the previous night's 45mm of rain remained on the lawns of Old Parliament House as crowds arrived for the festival's noon start in 93 per cent humidity.
Yesterday's top temperature of 25 degrees ensured a steamy afternoon for attendees, as the UV index soared into the extreme range Canberrans welcomed what's tipped to be yet another wet summer for the ACT and surrounding region.
The heavens opened on the event several times yesterday, but sunshine dominated.