The impending 2017 Groovin The Moo festival series has announced a venue change for its opening event in South Australia this April.
Organisers explained in a statement on social media that the event, on Friday 28 April, will move from its previous grounds at Oakbank Racecourse to the Adelaide Showground, in Wayville. According to the message, the impetus behind seeking the new location was to "[allow] the festival to be more accessible to the wider South Australian community".
The news has received a mixed response so far, with some commentators welcoming the more central and urban relocation, while others expressed disappointment at the revelation, given Groovin The Moo's well-documented history as a regionally focused event.
"So much for a 'regional' music festival," one punter wrote. "I know Oakbank isn't that far out of Adelaide but living in regional South Australia I definitely am disappointed to see the Moo move to the city."
"I hope this doesn't ruin the vibe," opined another. "I've been to all of them at Oakbank and loved the location… It's sad to think it's now gonna be in the city."
Groovin The Moo reps responded to similar comments with the explanation that they are simply "bringing regional South Australia to Wayville".
The South Australian venue shift comes only a few days after the festival announced that Viriginian hip hop artist D.R.A.M — the subject of the event's Shoot The Moo competition — would no longer be performing at the event after cancelling his planned Australian visit. However, Groovin The Moo's organisers have advised that the competition will go ahead nonetheless, and that a new subject artist will be announced soon.
The remainder of the line-up for the 2017 Groovin The Moo festival is due to land in just under a fortnight.
