Why the 2021 Goomeri Pumpkin Festival is anything but locked in
Updated restrictions bring hope, but how the famed festival will look in its return this year remains shrouded in mystery.
Gympie
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The 2021 edition of the famed Goomeri Pumpkin Festival remains “murky”, organisers say, despite promising developments in statewide COVID-19 protocols.
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Festival brass were last night preparing for an important community consultation meeting in Goomeri’s Hall of Memory, with the goal of solidifying next steps toward the planned festival dates at the end of next month.
Last night’s meeting had previously been dubbed “D Day” for the festival that attracts up to 20,000 patrons, but event co-ordinator Kim Boyter said Queensland Government updates on coronavirus restrictions for outdoor events had brought some late changes.
“Today (Wednesday) has been a bit messy, there’s been a lot of eventualities that have changed the balance of what would have happened at the meeting,” Ms Boyter said.
“The Premier has relaxed a lot of the restrictions on gatherings and all that sort of stuff, it’s basically saying that outdoor events such as ANZAC Day parades, fun runs and other outdoor only events do not need a COVID safe plan.
“We would believe based on that statement that we don’t need a plan, but I’ve spoken to the Sunshine Coast Public Health Unit who have been assessing our plan, and they say because this is very newly released … there could still be certain restrictions based on certain numbers.”
With anything up to 20,000 visitors expected at the Pumpkin Festival, Ms Boyter said there remained a feeling among organisers that this year’s event would still come under a “grey area”.
Ms Boyter said the event’s COVID safe plan had been forwarded on with a recommendation for approval to chief health officer Jeannette Young, but that plan “still put huge implications on our festival”.
She said Gympie Mayor Glen Hartwig remained in communication with the public health unit in a bid to have the festival run “as normal as possible”.
“He’s still fighting for us, he’s still moving ahead and discussing with the health unit, he wants a lot of the restrictions and limitations in our plan to be removed so we can continue as normal as possible,” Ms Boyter said.
“The purpose of the meeting is to see how the community feels, because ultimately they’re the ones that have got to step up and do all the work.”
The Goomeri Pumpkin Festival is estimated to inject over two million dollars into the South Burnett economy.
The 2021 Goomeri Pumpkin Festival is scheduled to take place between 27 and 30 May.
Originally published as Why the 2021 Goomeri Pumpkin Festival is anything but locked in
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