SummerSalt festival warns patrons must bring a chair, no dancing allowed

Thousands of patrons at a major Gold Coast music festival this weekend have been warned they must bring their own ‘high-back’ chairs or they won’t be able to attend.

Patrons at a major national music festival which hits the Gold Coast this weekend have been warned they must bring their own ‘high-back’ chairs or they won’t be able to come.

They’ve also been told to stay in their seats and not dance – but they don’t have to wear masks.

The sold-out SummerSalt concert – featuring Missy Higgins, John Butler, Xavier Rudd, Birds of Tokyo and The Waifs – is being held beachside at Coolangatta on Sunday.

John Butler will perform at the SummerSalt Festival. Picture: Dean Martin

Promoters on Friday issued a reminder to ticket holders that they have to BYO ‘high-back’ chairs and ‘cannot dance or congregate in groups away from their seats’.

Punters have been told that while camp chairs are acceptable, ‘low-back fold up chairs, lazyboy-style layback chairs and picnic blankets’ are not permitted.

They can bring their own food and non-alcoholic drinks, an esky and ‘one small trolley per group’.

Similar Covid-related rules were in place for recent SummerSalt festivals in NSW.

A Gold Coast businessman who bought $135-a-head family tickets for the festival said he was shocked to receive the chair edict, calling it ‘nanny state stuff’.

“Telling two people two days out is bulls--t,” he said.

“They should have told people earlier. There’s apparently 6000 people going and most probably don’t know.

“We were either going to ride our bikes or catch a bus – how are we meant to carry chairs? The kids will have to sit in theirs for nine hours, with no dancing and no standing allowed.

“It’s nanny state stuff.”

The Palaszczuk Government is reviewing the state’s Covid restrictions after the Omicron wave peaked, and NSW and Victoria scrapped their restrictions.

Originally published as SummerSalt festival warns patrons must bring a chair, no dancing allowed