Organisers cancel Stones Corner Festival amid coronavirus fears

Retailers at Stones Corner are struggling through coronavirus concerns with major set backs this week as the annual Stones Corner Festival and next weekend’s Village Market are cancelled.

John "Stevo" Stevens from Area-7 gets among the crowd at the 2019 Stones Corner Festival. Picture: Brian Bennion

THE annual Stones Corner Festival has been cancelled before organisers had a chance to announce this years list of artists.

Organisers announced the festival would return on May 3 two weeks ago for its seventh year.

However with the developing situation with coronavirus, the organisers announced today the festival would not proceed and would return in 2021.

“With such a strong tie to the May long weekend each year, Stones Corner Festival will return in 2021,” they announced.

“While it’s a difficult choice, the health and safety of our visitors, stallholders, volunteers, entertainers and supporters is our major concern.”

Cheap Fakes play at the 2019 Stones Corner Festival. Picture: Brian Bennion

The event has become one of Brisbane’s largest and most anticipated annual street parties, attracting record crowds each year in the thousands.

Previous line-ups have included Jebediah, Area-7, Regurgitator, Custard, The Mavis’s, Ganggajang, Mental as Anything, Sahara Beck, The Badloves, Darren Middleton and Pub Choir.

In a further blow for retailers in the suburb, the popular Stones Corner Village Market has also been cancelled for March 29.

Our Stones Corner group reports though that it is business as usual for all the local shops, cafes, restaurants, bars and gyms and the markets would return.