Police are investigating an alleged sexual assault that occurred at a music festival in St Kilda on Saturday.

The alleged assault occurred in the mosh pit for the main stage of the Listen Out festival at Catani Gardens about 8pm.

Police say the female victim was dancing in the mosh pit when an unknown male began dancing behind her.

“The female tried to move away from him but he has grabbed her by the waist and pulled her toward him,” Victoria police said.

“The male then grabbed the victim around the neck and placed his hand inside the victims clothing and sexually assaulted her. The female has managed to elbow the male to his face and left the mosh pit area.”

Police say she then found her friends and called police.

The male is described as white with long red hair, worn in a bun.

Detectives from the sexual crimes squad have asked anyone with information about the alleged assault to come forward.

They have released a composite image of the alleged offender.

Five women reported being sexually assaulted at the Falls Festival in Marion Bay in Tasmania over New Year’s Eve. Two of the incidents were alleged to have occurred in the mosh pit.

A survey in the UK in August found that seven out of 10 women worry about being sexually assaulted or sexually harassed at music festivals.

Three out of 10 women who took part in the Durham University study said they had been sexually harassed at a music festival in the past, and one in 10 said they had been assaulted.