The historic machinery festival, which is celebrating its 35^th anniversary with the 2023 event, will run on the last weekend in April, April 29 and 30, to sidestep a clash with Groovin the Moo the weekend beforehand.

Maitland City Council city events co-ordinator Adam Franks said the decision was made "in the best interest of our city's transport network and transport stakeholders, as well as local accommodation and tourism providers".

Mr Franks said the decision was not taken lightly, but consultation with both events' organisers had made it clear the town wouldn't be big enough for the both of them on the same dates without leaving economic benefits on the table.

"Steamfest has had an extended run of bad luck, with a number of cancellations since 2019 due to COVID and significant weather events," Mr Franks said.

"In 2023, we'll be celebrating the event's 35th anniversary, so hosting on the same weekend as another of the city's largest events would have caused all sorts of challenges for council, infrastructure providers, local residents, visitors to Maitland and the event organisers over at Groovin the Moo as well.

"The shift in dates for Steamfest will help spread the economic impact of both events, which is well into the millions of dollars, over two weekends."

The music event drew about 16,000 fans earlier this year, while Steamfest's crowds are regularly pegged at more than 50,000 people.

Steamfest ticketholders will be contacted in the coming week. Their passes will automatically be changed to the new dates, while full refunds are available.

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