Organisers of This That, Scene & Heard and Dashville Skyline have made the decision to postpone their respective music festivals to February 2022 due to COVID restrictions.
The This That festival has been rescheduled for Saturday, February 26 at Wickham Park, followed by the Scene & Heard festival at the same location on Sunday, February 27.
The weekend is set to be huge for live music fans across the Hunter, after organisers of country music festival Dashville Skyline rescheduled their Hunter Valley event to take place between February 25 and 27.
The This That festival, which was set down for November 6, 2021, had already been postponed after it was initially scheduled for November 2020 but delayed due to COVID-19 concerns.
Festival organisers also postponed the Sandstone Point, Queensland stage of the tour.
“The This That team had every intention of bringing the festival to Queensland and NSW this year. Unfortunately, due to COVID, we’re moving dates once again,” organisers said in a statement.
“The good news is that there is so much dancing and partying to look forward to and it’s going to be absolutely worth the wait.”
Ticket holder Mia Kierath said she was “disappointed” the festival would not go ahead in November as planned but was relieved it wasn’t “cancelled altogether”.
“I think a lot of people would be in the same boat in being thankful it wasn’t cancelled. Plus, by February, hopefully, there will be less restrictions and less [COVID-19] cases, so it’ll be a way better experience for everyone.”
This That organisers reassured festival-goers the Newcastle line-up would remain relatively the same, with the exception of electronic artist Enschway swapping with Sippy, a dubstep producer from Sydney.
They thanked ticket-holders for “sticking with the festival through all of the changes and holding on to tickets to support live music”.
They advised that all tickets purchased for the 2020 and 2021 event dates were automatically valid for 2022.
For ticket holders who can’t attend the new dates, a two-week refund window via Oztix is available and is open now for Newcastle from now until 5 pm on October 6.
Organisers said the festival was already 95 per cent sold out and that there were “less than a thousand tickets left” at both locations, “so holding on to tickets is the best way to avoid regrets in a few months’ time”.
The team behind Scene & Heard has promised to deliver the “best in live music this summer, in a safe setting”, and thanked patrons for their ongoing support after the festival was forced to reschedule for a second time.
“In light of the ever-changing COVID restrictions, border closures and uncertainty around the Government’s guidelines for when mass gatherings can occur, it should come as no surprise that the highly anticipated Scene & Heard Festival will need to be rescheduled,” organisers announced.
“We can’t thank you enough for supporting Scene & Heard, and we look forward to hanging with you for a much-needed dose of live music action.
“We realise it’s a tough period for all. For those who can, please consider holding on to your purchased festival ticket to support our beloved live music industry, which is suffering.”
Event organisers announced Australian rock band Killing Heidi could not make the new event date and have asked fans to “stay tuned for a new artist addition to the bill”.
Festival-goers who cannot make the new event date for Scene & Heard can apply for a refund here.
Ticket holders have been urged to act quickly if they intend to refund their ticket, as the refund window will only be open for two weeks, closing at 5 pm on October 6.
Maia O’Connor