A growing list of festivals, events, meetings and venues are closing in the hopes of stopping the spread of Covid-19 (coronavirus). Echonetdaily will update this list as cancellations and closures come to hand.
Updated: Thursday, March 19
Circus Arts Australia 80’s Circus Jam on 3 April has been cancelled.
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Rainforest 4 and Reforest Now Community Tree planting this Saturday March 21 cancelled.
‘Due to the spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) we have made the decision to cancel our community tree planting event Sat 21 March at Lomandra Lane,’ said Kelvin Davies from Rainforest 4.
‘We are following the advice and direction from government and public health experts to minimise the exposure of people to the virus. To ensure we still achieve the outcome for rainforest conservation the staff of Reforest Now and Rainforest 4 Foundation will plant the 3,000 trees. Please take care during these challenging times. We’ll look forward to seeing you all at a future community tree planting event once the current COVID-19 crisis is resolved.’
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This Sunday’s Bangalow market has been cancelled
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Palace Cinemas have cancelled the Alliance Francaise French Film Festival at its Byron Bay cinemas.
For those who have booked online representatives of Palace Cinemas will soon contact you and for those who have made in person bookings contact Palace Byron Bay by phone 6680 8555, in person or via email [email protected] with images of their tickets.
‘We are truly thankful to any patrons who choose not to request a refund and instead donate the cost of their ticket back to the Festival as it will help us cover the immense costs associated with running the event,’ said the spokesperson.
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Updated Wednesday March 18, 4.50pm
The Lismore Revolve Shop has been closed indefinitely by Lismore Council
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The 2020 Byron Property Sales Ocean Swim Classic and the Byron Bay Mitre 10 Mini-Swims
The swims were set down for May 3. Organisers say they are processing refunds for those who have already paid and registered. It may take a few days.
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Updated Tuesday, March 17, 1.50pm
The Adolescent Brain and Risk Taking Behaviour meeting
Mullumbimby High School P&C are hosting on The Adolescent Brain and Risk Taking Behaviour. It was scheduled to take place in the school library on Monday 23 March and will now be postponed.
The event will be rescheduled for later in the year.
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Splendour in the Grass 2020 – new dates
Splendour in the Grass 2020 is being rescheduled to Friday 23, Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 October 2020 at North Byron Parklands.
In response to the Federal government’s ban on public gatherings in excess of 500 pax and in these unpredictable times, in an effort to ensure a safe Splendour in the Grass experience, we will reschedule the 20th-anniversary edition to the new dates in October.
Flume, The Strokes and Tyler, The Creator have all confirmed their attendance for these new dates alongside most others. As this is moving quickly and we work through the detail there will be some programming changes but we are confident that rescheduling to October – a one off Spring edition of Splendour – is the best way to ensure we present the Splendour experience you all know and love.
All tickets purchased for the original Splendour July dates are valid for entry on the new October dates.
Ticket holders who are not able to attend the new dates will be able to apply for a refund from Moshtix. Moshtix will be in touch with all account holders directly.
Good news for those on the waiting list, for any refunded tickets we will do a special ticket release in the coming weeks. If you haven’t signed up already, put your names on waitlist now. If you are looking for camping tickets, we are hoping to be back soon with a solution so please bear with us.
See you in October for a one off Spring edition of Splendour
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Byron Community Centre Senior’s Program
The Senior’s Programs at the Byron Community Centre have been suspended for the foreseeable future following NSW health Guidelines for vulnerable people, concerning the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Lone Goat Gallery
In light of the COVID -19 pandemic and to prioritise the well-being of our volunteers, artists, visitors and local community, Lone Goat Gallery will temporarily close.
At this stage, the closure will be for two weeks (from 17 March 2020).
Our forthcoming exhibition by Hannah Cutts – Buoys will be Buoys – is postponed, and we look forward to bringing you Hannah’s exhibition when we re-open. Stay tuned.
We would like to thank Jacob Boylan for his exhibition Dire Contact, which is now closed.
Information about the operations of the Gallery in the days and weeks ahead will be posted on the Gallery website and social media.
We look forward to re-opening our doors and seeing you at the Gallery soon.
Stay safe and well.
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Byron Harmony Festival 2020
We have had very sad news lately that events such as ours with over 500 audience expected have to be cancelled /postponed.
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Going Local: Hope in a Time of Crisis presented by Local Futures & New Economy Network Australia
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2020 Northern Rivers Food Harvest Festival
Local industry group Northern Rivers Food (NRF) has confirmed that the 2020 Northern Rivers Food Harvest Festival has been cancelled.
‘Northern Rivers Food places the highest priority on the wellbeing and safety of all of our members and the broader Northern Rivers community,’ said NRF Chair Pam Brook.
‘We appreciate that the COVID-19 pandemic is a fast-moving and complex situation with many known and unknown factors. Responding to the Australian
Government’s advice over recent days concerning COVID-19 and large events, Northern Rivers Food reluctantly decided to cancel the 2020 Harvest Festival.
‘We are incredibly disappointed as we know that the Harvest Festival is a much-anticipated annual celebration of the region’s fantastic growing food and
beverage scene,’ said NRF Executive Officer Allison Henry.
NRF’s focus in the coming weeks and months will be on an Eat Local Love Local campaign.
‘We urge the Northern Rivers community to keep supporting our local farmers, producers, cafes and restaurants. We’re all in this together!’
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Masterclasses for illustrating – Lismore library : CANCELLED
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StoryBoard Program
Byron Writers Festival’s StoryBoard Program has been suspended for an initial four weeks until at least the end of Term 1.
Apologies to all schools, libraries, Authors, Illustrators, students and our hardworking team at StoryBoard HQ.
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DuneCare and Coastcare 30th anniversary
To protect our community, the Ballina Coastcare Committee (in consultation with long-time Dune Care members) have made the difficult decision to postpone the 30th-anniversary celebrations.
We apologise that this event has been postponed until further notice due to issues related to Coronavirus.
As soon as things settle and we have another date, we will let you know of any plans.
Until then, stay well.
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2020 Bluesfest cancelled
SCU postpones graduation ceremony and other non-essential events
Southern Cross University is continuing to closely monitor the developments of the COVID-19 virus outbreak.
The University’s decision-making is guided by the fundamental principle of prioritising the health and safety of staff and students, said Chief Marketing Officer Dean Gould.
‘We will continue to apply an abundance of caution as we actively review our practices in order to ensure that we are able to continue to operate throughout this situation,’ he said.
‘This is a fluid situation where the circumstances are constantly changing and being reviewed.’
The University is open and fully functioning, however where possible courses are actively being transitioned to online delivery mode. Staff who can work effectively from home have been encouraged to do so with the majority of business meetings now being conducted via video.
Based on the latest health and government advice the University, through its COVID-19 Incident Group, will cancel or postpone as many non-essential events as possible, this includes graduation ceremonies until June, however this will not delay the conferral of degrees for official purposes.
Other static events involving more than 500 people – such as the Northern Rivers Engineering Challenge at Lismore campus in June – have been postponed, and smaller essential events will proceed without the provision of food.
The on-campus cleaning regime has stepped up to the highest level of deep-cleaning.
The University is supporting five staff returning from official travel overseas, offering every assistance with their mandatory 14-day self-isolation upon arrival.
Meanwhile all staff and students who have recently entered Australia – whether on personal or professional travel – are asked to self-isolate for the required 14-day period, and the University has extended the ban of all staff and student international travel into or out of Australia.
All specific actions related to closures and changes to Southern Cross University operations will be listed in the daily-updated www.scu.edu.au/coronavirus website.
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Richmond Tweed Regional Library to close from tomorrow
Member Councils of Richmond Tweed Regional Library are taking a proactive approach in response to the unfolding situation with Coronavirus (COVID-19) and have made the decision to temporarily close all Richmond Tweed Regional Library branches from tomorrow as a preventative measure to support the health and wellbeing of staff, volunteers and the community.
Library branches in Lismore City, Ballina, Byron and Tweed Shires, including the Mobile Library, will be closed for two weeks, with the closure reviewed on a week-by-week basis after that.
Regional Library Manger Jo Carmody said that Member Councils made this decision as Council has a duty of care to its staff, library users and the community. Jo stressed that no staff member at any of the libraries had been diagnosed with Coronavirus.
The libraries have almost 30,000 visits per week with some of the bigger branches seeing visitor numbers in excess of 600 people per day many of whom are in the vulnerable age bracket.
‘Council has decided that with our high visitor numbers that closing all branches was a precautionary measure aimed at protecting staff, library users and slowing the spread of the virus within the community,’ she said.
The eLibrary is open with access to books, magazines and audiobooks in downloadable digital formats from the RTRL website or Library App. Any renewals will now be for a six-week period rather than the normal three-week renewal period. Renewals can be made on the website, Library App or by phoning the library.
Staff will continue to work during the closures on behind the scenes projects and will be available via phone to answer any library questions, renew items or assist with access to the online eLibrary.
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Harmony Day
It is with great disappointment that we announce our Harmony Day event for 2020 will be postponed until further notice.
As a result of the spread of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) and its recent declaration by the World Health Organisation as a public health emergency, this event will be postponed to ensure the safety, health and well-being of our staff, our guests and the community.
If you have already purchased tickets you will be refunded.
Piers Lane and Byron Music Society Music program launch cancelled
Piers Lane is a London-based Australian pianist who was to perform at the Byron Theatre on Sunday March 29.
Reluctantly, Mr Lane says he has had to cancel this event which was part of the Byron Music Society Music program for 2020. The launch has also been cancelled.
Piers was due to fly into Australia a few days before the concert. He will now have to self-isolate for 14 days, so the event is out of the question.
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St Johns Primary School fete
St Johns Primary School in Mullumbimby has postponed its school fete, planned for this Friday, and has also cancelled a planned school trip, due to fears about the coronavirus.
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HOTA, Home of the Arts | COVID-19
HOTA has announced that it will close from midnight tonight in response to the rapidly evolving COVID-19 outbreak. These are difficult times for the community and in an ever-changing environment, HOTA needs to be decisive and responsive. The health and wellbeing of our community, artists and staff is of paramount importance.
The closure and cancellations will remain until at least the end of the month. A decision on any further closure will take into consideration any developments of the COVID-19 situation.
Ticket holders for forthcoming events will be contacted to arrange a refund. There is no need to contact HOTA for your refund.
Casino Beef Week
I, Frank McKey, the President wish to inform the community that the 2020 Casino Beef Week held in May is postponed to later in the year.
This is due to the Public Health Order (Covid-19 Public Events) in place till 14 June 2020, provided by Brad Hazzard MP, Minister for Health.
The Casino Beef Week Committee is saddened to make this decision, and we will work towards delivering our icon festival, possibly in early September which is dependant on the Australian Government advice.
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Tweed cultural facilities to close
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Tweed Regional Gallery, Gallery Cafe and Gallery DownTown closed to public
As a precaution to slow the spread of COVID-19, Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre, the Gallery Cafe and the annexe Gallery DownTown will be closed to the public from tomorrow, Tuesday 17 March 2020.
At this stage, the closure will be for two weeks (from 17 March) and will be reviewed on a week-by-week basis. All associated events and public programs during this period have been cancelled or postponed.
Approximately 2500 people visit the Tweed Regional Gallery weekly, many of whom are in the vulnerable age bracket. Closing the Gallery is a precautionary measure aimed at protecting gallery visitors and staff, including volunteers and guides, slowing the spread of the virus within the community.
Staff will continue to work at the facilities during the closures, establishing new ways to engage visitors with our exhibitions and collections online as the situation continues to evolve.
If you have pre-purchased tickets for Real to Reel, our team will be in contact with you shortly.
Any new information about the operations of the Gallery in the days and weeks ahead will be posted on the Gallery website and distributed via social media channels.
For more information visit: artgallery.tweed.nsw.gov.au.
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