Toowoomba Regional Council happy with rock festival despite noise complaints from residents

The Red Hot Summer Tour festival this month, featuring big names like Jimmy Barnes, could be heard as far away as Newtown. But the council says it is happy with the sound levels.

Jimmy Barnes was the headliner for the Red Hot Summer Tour, which came to Toowoomba on May 2. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

The Toowoomba Regional Council says it was happy with the sound levels emitted from a major outdoor rock festival held in the centre of the city earlier this month, despite receiving several complaints about it.

The Red Hot Summer Tour, which was headlined by legendary singer Jimmy Barnes and featured major acts like the Hoodoo Gurus and Jon Stevens, was attended by hundreds of people at Queens Park on May 2.

Despite it being audible from Newtown and many people taking to social media to vent their disapproval, environment and community portfolio leader councillor Tim McMahon said only six complaints were received.

“Toowoomba Regional Council appreciates the concerns of those community members who were impacted by noise as a result of the Red Hot Summer Tour which was held in Queens Park on May 2,” he said.

“We understand noise levels can affect residents differently and that live, open-air events can cause temporary disruption to the community.

“Council will continue to work closely with event organisers in the future to manage events with as little noise impact on community members as possible.

“The number of complaints council received was low given the event was a good-sized, open-air concert which ended relatively early,” he said.

“This event has been held in Toowoomba in the past and council did not receive any noise complaints as a result of the previous event.

“The Toowoomba region is a great destination and we want to ensure the region continues to attract quality live acts and big-ticket events.

“Following an event, organisers are required to submit a noise report within 30 days and council reviews the details outlined in the report closely to assist with planning for and managing noise levels appropriately at events in the future.”