LOVED MUSIC FESTIVAL ON HOLD
ORGANISERS of one of the region’s biggest music festivals has cancelled its 2020 event due to the recent spike in COVID-19 cases.
Queenscliff Music Festival (QMF) director Andrew Orvis announced on Wednesday that it will postpone its festival until November 2021.
The call comes after organisers remained hopeful last month that the festival, set to run in November, would go ahead.
Mr Orvis labelled the decision to not proceed with the 24th annual event as “difficult”.
“We held out as long as we could, in the hope that things would improve and that we might be able to hold a festival, and for a while there it really looked like things were improving and we’d be able to,” Mr Orvis said.
“Unfortunately though, with the recent COVID-19 spike in Victoria it is no longer possible.”
The three-day festival joins a recent string of cancellations across the region including the Royal Geelong Show, Great Ocean Road Running Festival and Portarlington Mussel Festival.
Last year it sold almost 10,000 tickets, with over 90 per cent of spectators coming from outside local regions, injecting more than $4m in to the local economy.
In previous years it has hosted headliners including Missy Higgins, The Cat Empire, The Temper Trap and Xavier Rudd, and has drawn thousands to the region since its inception in 1997.
Borough of Queenscliffe Council said the festival was a highlight of the local events calendar, making a valuable contribution to the community economy.
Mayor Ross Ebbels said he was looking forward to seeing the festival return again in the future.
“On making this tough decision, QMF’s long term sustainability is not in doubt,” Cr Ebbels said.
“Strong growth and sound financial management over the years have left the festival team well placed to navigate this challenging environment.”
Mr Orvis said QMF was working on a revised event to take place this year, depending on restrictions.
“We know many of you love coming down to Queenscliff regardless of the festival, and we hope you’re still able to do this on November 27-29,” Mr Orvis said.
QMF will contact all 2020 ticket holders regarding refunds and ticket transfers to next year’s event.