Yours & Owls music festival will make history as one of two major music festivals in Australia to go ahead since the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020.
The festival announced its intended April return this week after months of speculation as to whether the festival would be able to proceed.
Event organiser, Ben Tillman, says the approval from NSW Health is a big deal for Yours & Owls and its ticket holders.
“It’s been such a mammoth effort by everyone involved getting to this point so it’s nice to see that all the work has, and is, finally paying off.”
The festival will feature a nation-first lazy susan-style rotating double stage which will offer viewing points for four separate audience segments. The seated event will be running at its pre-COVID capacity of 14,000 people per day.
The news offers a glimmer of hope to the Australian music industry which has been one of the hardest hit by the COVID-19 restrictions.
“We had months with zero income and are still operating on a level that’s well below covering our operating costs,” says Tillman. “It will take years to fully recover I reckon.”
A hub for emerging local talent, Yours & Owls will feature many up-and-coming acts as part of their line up including Wollongong Band Slinky Red.
“This is the first music festival we’ve ever played so we’re pretty stoked to be part of it,” says Slinky Red drummer, Lachlan Starling. “Looking at the bill and seeing our name alongside so many great artists is pretty crazy.”
Starling says the restrictions and lockdowns have limited the opportunities his band has had in recent months but is glad to see live music returning.
“Hopefully this is a good sign of what’s to come.”
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