Outrage As Aus Festivals Cancelled While Races Allowed To Proceed

The latest Delta COVID outbreak in WA has seen events of all sizes cancelled in recent days, and many are questioning why the Perth Cup on New Year’s Day is still able to proceed.

The state’s current restrictions are in place until January 4, meaning that a slew of New Year’s Eve gigs have had to be canned, including major Australian festival Origin Fields, which was set to host Pendulum (DJ Set), SHOCKONE, Godlands and stacks more.

In a statement, organisers of the beloved event said that they have “never endured anything like this”.

“Our approvals were in place, our site is already half built and no expenses has been spared but we understand that public safety has to come first,” they said.

“It just frustrating to see that horse racing and gambling takes precedence over the arts in this state and there’s no real nice way to frame that.”

One fan of Origin Fields responded to the statement by saying “it’s so unfair that racing and gambling can still go ahead”, while another commented that it was a “totally Illogical decision”.

Perth music production and DJ school/studio Lab Six echoed that sentiment, stating: “It is heartbreaking to see music and arts events consistently being the first to take the fall because of an outbreak, when other industries such as racing and gambling seem to be immune to blanket rules.

“Patrons at casinos and racing events are known to become just as inebriated as patrons at music events. They are just as likely to celebrate, dance, hug, kiss, hi-five and shake hands, especially when they win a bet.”

The Perth Cup will be WA’s first major COVID restrictions test event, with punters needing to provide proof-of-vaccination to attend, and many are questioning why the State Government won’t allow similar systems for open-air events on New Year’s Eve.

As part of WA’s latest restrictions, all high-risk, large public events had to be cancelled, while nightclubs were forced to shut and dancing was banned, which led to other popular events such as Ice Cream Factory, Seasons Festival, Snack Festival and more being canned.