Just under a month away from music festival Yours & Owls (17-18 April), the Wollongong event has upgraded their venue, unveiled their COVID-safe footprint and added indie legends Dope Lemon to the bill.
"We want to thank everyone for their patience and support this past year," promoter Ben Tillman says.
"It's been one hell of a roller coaster ride. We are really thankful that we have been given the opportunity to bring you one of the only major festival events in the country since COVID hit. Without the support of our patrons, staff, stakeholders and industry, this would have been an impossible task.
"Our approval is the first step for our industry, we still have a long way to go to get back to the thriving live music scene we once knew.
"This year's event is probably one of the most important we have staged, it is the first step in establishing that festivals can be run safely in NSW, so we need our patrons support to help open the door for a return of mass live music gatherings.
"We are working hard to make this the best experience possible and can’t wait to share it with you."
Part of the 2021 look of Yours & Owls will be two revolving stages, with the site split into four separate zones (yellow, purple, blue and peach) to mitigate the risk of COVID.
The event has also been moved to the larger Thomas Dalton Park (only two minutes from the traditional festival site Stuart Park) to accommodate the COVID-safe footprint.
Yours & Owls takes place at Thomas Dalton Park (Wollongong) 17-18 April.
'We have been working extra hard developing a mega COVID safety play book to ensure you are all well looked after while you party. To accommodate our COVID safe footprint, we have moved to a larger site, another beautiful green space in Wollongong Dalton Park, two mins down the road from our spiritual home of Stuart Park!
'The site will be split into four separate zones to reduce risk, with the revolving stages smack bang in the middle. All festival patrons will have perfect view of the main stages from every zone. A state-of-the-art PA will ensure perfect sound to every corner of the site, and large LED screens will provide flawless close ups on your beloved acts. This will be the biggest production set up Yours and Owls has ever presented in the Gong!
'Each zone will be self-contained with its own entry and exits, a smaller stage giving a secondary space to consume music, main bar, cocktail bar, dining area, hand-picked food stalls, toilets, water refill stations, phone charging, merch stores, hand sanitising stations and friendly COVID safety marshals to answer all of your questions when you arrive.'
