Popular Western Downs music festival cancelled

COUNCIL has abandoned plans for a music festival, which had proposed headliners such as Daryl Braithwaite and Kasey Chambers in this year's instalment, due to coronavirus concerns.

COVID CANCELLATION: Big Skies Festival in 2021 in the Western Downs have been cancelled due to coronavirus concerns. Picture: File

THE 2021 installment of the Big Skies festival which had previous headliners such as Daryl Braithwaite and Kasey Chambers has been cancelled.

Western Downs Regional Council passed the motion on December 9 at their ordinary meeting, due to the ongoing challenges of coronavirus and its impact on large-scale events.

Mayor Paul McVeigh said the decision had been made for many reasons, such as the desire to only offer the event once a vaccine had been widely distributed, insurance issues, and date clashes with other festivals.

"While we have made the difficult decision to cancel Big Skies next year, we have some equally incredible events and festivals planned for 2021 and we look forward to sharing more about these in due course," he said.

"Big Skies has become a premier event for our region, attracting thousands of visitors to the Western Downs and creating a significant boost to the local economy.

"We look forward to coming together later next year to plan for Big Skies 2022."

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