Barunga Festival will go ahead despite Covid-19 concerns

Organisers of the Barunga Festival – one of the largest festivals celebrating Aboriginal culture in the country — say the event will go ahead as planned.

• Barunga Festival under threat over Covid-19 health concerns but decision yet to be made
• Garma festival forced to cancel after Covid safety plan rejected by CHO

ORGANISERS of the Barunga Festival – one of the largest festivals celebrating Aboriginal culture in the country — say the event will go ahead as planned next week despite initial Covid-19 concerns.

It comes after the Chief Minister Michael Gunner flagged on Tuesday that a decision over Burunga was still pending after announcing the cancellation of Garma Festival due to COVID-19 safety concerns.

However festival organiser Mark Grose has now confirmed that Burunga will go ahead as planned from June 11-13.

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Organisers say the Barunga Festival will go ahead as planned this year.

“We have an approved Covid Plan and we get very few fly in fly out attendees,” he said.

“It has not in the past attracted any significant numbers from Victoria that fly in fly out.

“The overwhelming audience is NT based with some Grey Nomads.”

It comes after NT’s Acting Chief Health Officer Charles Pain decided to cancel Garma Festival earlier this week.

He said the evolving coronavirus situation in Victoria played a key role in the cancellation.

The NT has since declared the entire state of Victoria a Covid-19 hot spot, as the latest cluster grew to 63 as of Thursday morning.

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