Remember the Lockdown?

This is what we wrote of the various Festivals around Victoria

(Newsletter, June 23rd 2021)

"So far this year,  it appears that the Newport Jazz Festival 2021 was the only one to happen - and that required a lot of luck and a fair bit of white knuckle on the organisers' part.

In the pandemic context, any Festival can be shut down at a moment's notice, and the cost, much of which is committed before a Festival, cannot be recovered. Hardly surprising then that a number of Festivals have cancelled, or deferred, or whatever. The list, it must be said, mostly makes for depressing reading, but several peeps have asked, so...

Port Fairy Jazz Festival: February 2022 is planned, with plenty of people already desperately keen to get to a Festival. Halleluiah! - this is the only Festival we have found so far that is still going ahead. Bands wishing to register for the festival should be able to do so by August/September of this year. Last year's event was downgraded to a mini Festival outdoors, and even then they lost two days due to a lockdown.

This Festival was on its way to being the biggest in Victoria. Let's hope they can regain that momentum.

https://www.portfairyjazz.com.au/

Australian Jazz Convention: last year's was cancelled - maybe this December? Organiser Chris Gildersleeve also proposed a smaller festival in Albury for June, but this got cancelled due to lack of public response. And it probably would have been cancelled anyway due to the lockdown. Hoping to get something up and running in October. We are holding our breath.

Wangaratta Jazz and Blues: nothing that I could find for 2021 (dates "to be announced", but normally October/November). This Festival has had a troubled history - it cancelled for the year before the covid pandemic. Hopefully, in the future....

Castlemaine Jazz Festival: should have been last week, and even then at a much reduced size, (16 bands, where it peaked at 104 bands in 2016) but cancelled at the last minute.

The Castlemaine Jam Session, on the other hand, was in lockdown last month and will re-open on Sunday July 4th. Bookings are advised, if not essential, try The Maurocco Bar on 03 5472 1085.

Merimbula Jazz Festival: Cancelled ages ago, which didn't deter a number of Melbourne musos from booking paying gigs down there for that weekend. Then all those gigs apparently got cancelled due to the Victorian lock down anyway. Huge amounts of petrol saved....

Inverloch Jazz Festival: Was due to happen in August, but cancelled some time ago - the Covidsafe requirements and risks were too onerous...can't say we blame them.  This is a particularly good small Festival and a favourite with many musos.

Newport Folk Festival: Cancelled three weeks out due to the latest lockdown.. Not a jazz festival per se, but these are the guys who helped us with the Newport Jazz Festival (same venues). This is the second year running they have cancelled - last year they put on an ambitious live streaming event, but ran out of time this year."