‘We’ve Got To Believe In Ourselves’: Beloved Qld Fest Determined To Proceed In Nov

With more and more events cancelling and postponing every day, Gold Coast’s longest independent festival, Wallapalooza, is determined to proceed as planned this year.

The November 20 event at Mudgeeraba Showgrounds will feature the likes of Grinspoon, The Butterfly Effect, Dead Letter Circus and Bodyjar, and for promoter Andy Clark, it’s all about getting music back on the stage where it belongs when the industry is doing it tough.

“It’s important for us to get musicians back up on stage,” Clark told The Music.

“I think it’s crucial. It’s a very big part of our society and culture. I think there’s no better time to be doing this than right now. We’ve just got to believe in ourselves and back the artists. Someone’s got to do it. We believe in the event, we believe in the music."

The community support thus far – with first release tickets and VIP passes already sold out – proves punters are itching for live events.

“We’re extremely humbled and grateful for the support we’re receiving,” Clark said.

“We’re seeing interest, drive and compassion within the community; they’re voting with ticket sales. We’ve had an overwhelming response and that shows that this is what the community wants - live festivals.”

While anything could happen over the next three months, with NSW and Victoria in lockdown due to the highly contagious Delta strain of COVID, the team behind Wallapalooza are keeping things positive.

“For us, part of Wallapalooza since its inception, is having a positive attitude and that’s the angle that we’re taking,” Clark said.

“We’re taking the angle that the event will go ahead and we’re focusing on that. But obviously, we’re aware of what might arise and we’re prepared for that; we’ve got a great team.

“Our focus now is to be positive and believe in the event going ahead. We don’t have the mindset to dwell on the ‘what ifs’.”

For more details on Wallapalooza 2021 head to theGuide.