Byron Bay Bluesfest Australia pledges to go COVID-safe
An all-Aussie line up has been added to the beloved Byron festival which looks set to take place with masks, seating and social distancing
Cold Chisel guitarist Ian Moss will be among a host of Australian artists adding a local flavour to Byron Bay’s Bluesfest next year.
The NSW event has become the first Australian festivals to foreshadow details of its COVID-safe festival plan. With international borders firmly shut, organisers are looking to locals to keep the show alive — albeit with reduced capacity.
The festival is also considering holding an entirely outdoor event, and requiring patrons to stay seated festival. The festival is already selling tickets for the event held at Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm near Byron Bay over the Easter long weekend.
Moss will be joined on the bill by Melbourne singer Tash Sultana, Sunshine Coast-born singer-songwriter Ziggy Alberts and Melbourne quartet Hiatus Kaiyote. Kev Carmody and Yorta Yorta rapper Briggs have also been locked in.
Moss is scheduled to perform directly before Cold Chisel frontman Jimmy Barnes on Easter Sunday. “It’s going to be great to be sharing the bill with my old mate,” Moss said. “The culture and connection between the two of us tends to generate excitement in the room when we are on the same bill.”
Bluesfest director Peter Noble said more Aussie acts would be added. Border closures mean international acts already announced including Bon Iver, Patti Smith and Kool & The Gang are in doubt.
“There will be challenges, and we expect to be presenting a festival with a lower capacity and potentially outdoors in order to have a safe event,” Mr Noble said.
“We are working with Government to present a safe event and be part of the return of ‘live’ music in this country.”
Festival organisers have lodged a COVID-19 safety plan with the NSW government and say they are awaiting feedback on the event design.
The 2019 event, headlined by Paul Kelly and Iggy Pop, was attended by more than 105,000 people across five days. Organisers estimate that the 2020 cancellation resulted in $203.6m in lost revenue for the state. Currently, the festival is selling 5,000-6,000 tickets per day for the five day event, but organisers hope they can increase capacity if NSW’s current restrictions ease by April.
Mr Noble said he was prepared to host the festival, which has been running since 1990, as a seated event if necessary.
“We have to ask, do we want to see live music return and therefore are we willing to do what it takes to be a part of that? We have to be able to present events that will mirror what the requirements are,” he said.
“If I have to … sit down or dance in front of my seat without leaving my area in order to be part of the return to live music, is that such a price to pay? What is life without music? There is none.”
Mr Noble hopes the festival could set a precedent and COVID-safe road map for other events, with the live music sector decimated by coronavirus shutdowns.
“We want to host it in a way that someone who attends out event does with the knowledge that it won’t be exactly the same, but they will need to be prepared to do what the authorities rule they need to do,” he said
“They may need to wear face masks when they’re travelling between stages, but that’s a minor inconvenice to pay to hear the best talent in Australia play.”
“I know there are so many people in my industry with no income. So we have to find ways to get musicians working again. If we wait, so much of the incredible talent of our industry will have moved on.”
Last week the UK’s first socially distanced gig was held last in Newcastle, with 2,500 fans gathering on 500 separate elevated platforms in a racing field track.
“It was a good idea and that’s what we’re seeing is ideas that worked,” Mr Noble said.
The designated areas were spaced two metres apart and held five music fans each. Gig goers were asked to wear masks and food and drink was pre-ordered to avoid people queuing
The performance by indie rock artist San Fender marked the return of live music in the UK since restrictions eased. Van Morrison and Maximo Park are also signed up to perform at the venue for the series of socially distanced venues.
Last week Victoria’s Port Fairy Folk Festival pulled the plug on its March 2021 event, citing health concerns, while Queensland’s Woodford Festival called off the six-day event over new year. Instead, Woodford organisers said they would host a five-day “camping holiday” at the same location in September. On Tuesday, it was announced Victorian techno festival Strawberry Fields would also be cancelled.
The cancellations follow comments by Acting Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly, who said festivals were “relatively high risk”.
“Large numbers of people, often multi-day events, lots of close contact, dancing and singing and so forth, all of these things are higher risk than some other mass gatherings,” he said.
Last month, the organisers of Falls Festival cancelled the New Year’s Eve event at Marion Bay, Tasmania. Organisers still have events planned for Victoria, NSW and Western Australia in December and January. They have declined to comment on whether these events will be cancelled.