Guests were seated in the marquee, erected on the lawns of the Conrad Treasury Hotel in anticipation of the start of the Mercedes-Benz Group Show at 6.30pm, when the whole room was evacuated.
In a statement released on Sunday, organisers said a wooden beam in the floor joist gave way just before the show began.
Guests were asked to vacate the marquee so the problem could be identified, with the company engaged to construct the marquee notified immediately to return to the site.
A decision was made to postpone the shows so that contractor staff could access every beam, ensure the problem was isolated and no one attending the Festival would be at risk, organisers said.
Festival Director Lindsay Bennett apologised to those ticket-holders affected by the postponement, but said the safety of guests were his paramount concern.
"I too am disappointed that the shows were initially delayed then postponed and I apologise for any inconvenience but I was not prepared to allow the shows to proceed without an expert assessing the situation and guaranteeing that there were no risks to the safety of anyone attending throughout the week," he said.
"I would like to thank guests for their patience and understanding during the delay while the problem was being assessed."
Fashionistas were treated to free champagne in the Treasury Hotel foyer and were still waiting patiently for the all clear at 8pm when ticket holders for the Treasury Casino & Hotel Group show began to arrive.
Finally, about 9pm, two and a half hours after the first show was due to begin, MC Georgie Lewis announced to an impatient crowd that the entire evening's program had been cancelled.
Lewis said organisers would endeavor to reschedule the shows at a later date.
The Mercedes-Benz Fashion Festival Brisbane, barring another technical difficulty, continues Sunday.
Source: COURIERMAIL.COM.AU
