Yet another blow : The Bluesfest cancellation has left Australia s live music industry reeling, as peak bodies call for festival pandemic insurance David Adams Mark
The cancellation of Byron Bay s Bluesfest music festival was another hit to confidence for Australia s struggling live performance industry, a peak industry body says.
NSW Health yesterday cancelled the event one day before it was scheduled to begin, citing fears of COVID-19 community transmission in the surrounding area.
The cancellation has bolstered calls for a dedicated pandemic insurance fund to protect music promoters.
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It was billed as Australia s first major music festival in a year, and a long-awaited sign of the touring industry s recovery from pandemic shutdowns.
Premium Content It was meant to be Australia s first major music festival since the pandemic began. The news Bluesfest Byron Bay could not be held this week, delivered on the eve of the first day of music, has likely left a $100 million hole in the local economy. While this year s festival was due to run at half-capacity, director Peter Noble previously said the last event in 2019 put $200 million into the economy. As organisers, music lovers and the array of people who would have worked at Bluesfest come to terms with the news Bluesfest 2021 is, at best, on hold until later in the year, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has expressed enthusiasm that the Sydney Royal Easter Show would proceed this long weekend.
A music festival-goer displays an Australian flag in Sydney, Australia.
The unthinkable happened Wednesday (March 31) when the Byron Bay Bluesfest was canceled by authorities on the eve of its 2021 event, torpedoing the popular festival for the second straight year.
Expect the unthinkable to happen again. Next time, the government must plan for it. That’s the response from a live industry that s shattered by the late shut-down.
In separate statements issued Thursday, Live Performance Australia and the Australian Festivals Association called on federal and state governments to activate a Business Interruption Fund, an insurance fund for creative businesses to access in case of emergency.
Can people get their travel money back?
Flights to and from Byron Bay continue to operate as normal over the long weekend meaning anyone hoping to cancel flights as a result of the festival cancellation will be subject to the airline s terms and conditions for rescheduling their trip.
New South Wales Health has updated its travel advice for people who had been to Greater Brisbane since March 20 who will no longer be required to stay at home after lockdown ends this afternoon.
Locals in the government areas of Bryon Bay, Ballina, the Tweed and Lismore will stay have to abide by restrictions announced yesterday, including mask use.
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