HUNTER music festival promoters have welcomed the NSW Government's decision to ease COVID restrictions early, describing it as a win for common sense.
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On Thursday, Premier Dominic Perrottet announced that from Friday, February 25 singing and dancing would be permitted at music festivals and the 20,000 capacity limit would be lifted.
The ease of restrictions, 10 days earlier than expected, will arrive just in time for Lower Belford's three-day Americana and alt-country festival, Dashville Skyline, which begins on February 25.
Last weekend Dashville music festival, Thrashville, was forced to operate without singing and dancing, with punters encouraged to bring camping chairs.
"The singing and dancing rules just defied any common sense," Dashville promoter Matt Johnston said.
"The people who came did a real good job abiding by the law and we got through, but it was quite evident that if there was going to be any contamination, they were already having conversations before they started singing and dancing.
"I don't think singing and dancing was gonna be the thing that broke the corona's back. It felt like a shot at our industry more than anything."
The easing of restrictions has also allowed Newcastle's largest annual music festival, This That, to proceed at full capacity at Wickham Park on March 12. This That has been postponed three times due to COVID outbreaks since its last edition in November 2019.
"The lifting of restrictions in NSW today is incredible news for This That artists, music fans and the whole Newcastle event economy who have stuck with us over the last couple of years," This That co-promoter Brent Lean said on Thursday.
"This means we are 100 per cent able to move ahead with This That with dancing and singing allowed - we can't wait to bring the party vibes to Newcastle again. It's been way too long."
However, regaining consumer confidence is another obstacle music festivals face as they aim to rebound from the pandemic. Mr Johnston said ticket sales for Thrashville and Dashville Skyline were down on previous years.
"I hope people who were thinking that [restrictions on singing and dancing] were holding them back, that they would be up for taking it on again," he said.
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Josh Leeson
Josh Leeson is an entertainment and features journalist, specialising in music, at the Newcastle Herald. He first joined the masthead in 2008 after stints at the Namoi Valley Independent and Port Stephens Examiner and has previously covered sport including the Asian Cup, A-League, Surfest, cricket and rugby league.
Josh Leeson is an entertainment and features journalist, specialising in music, at the Newcastle Herald. He first joined the masthead in 2008 after stints at the Namoi Valley Independent and Port Stephens Examiner and has previously covered sport including the Asian Cup, A-League, Surfest, cricket and rugby league.
