John Butler, Xavier Rudd, Josh Pyke set for COVIDsafe Good Day Sunshine fest

Following a bleak winter for concert fans, a breakthrough. Music festivals are set for a return to the west coast.

John Butler, Xavier Rudd, Josh Pyke, Kyle Lionhart and other homegrown artists are booked for next month’s Good Day Sunshine, a new COVIDsafe music festival format.

The new one-day event will take place Oct. 31 at Barnard Park on the Busselton Foreshore and is pitched as a world-first setup for these times.

The brainchild of Macro Music CEO Ross Macpherson, the 5,000-capacity site will be split into four spaces, each with a maximum of 1,250 punters, essentially operating as separate event spaces, Cobblestones, Windmills, The Point and Injidup, each with their own bars, toilets, security, and exits and entries.

Performers will play in the round, on a rotating setup appropriately named The Turntable Stage.

“Everyone is treated equally with this site set up,” Macpherson tells TIO.

“We looked at many different ways to try that but…we felt this was the best way to give everyone the same experience and an equal show. That and being able to then have the central stage with the four exits coming from different directions, the four independent shows. It seemed to make sense.”

Virtual map for Good Day Sunshine:

According to organisers, the larger event site allows for 2sqm per person.

Led by a chief COVID-Safety officer, teams will refill hand sanitiser stations during the fest while shared areas will be regularly scrubbed clean.

Also on the day, signage and super screen messages will remind guests to physically distance.

“We are excited to roll out this format for Good Day Sunshine. It will be great to have music events of a larger capacity rolling in Australia again,” Macpherson says in a statement issued Thursday (17th September).

“We have been working with the local council, police, health and various other stakeholders to ensure the format complies with the current COVID guidelines for WA. All have been incredibly supportive of our ideas.”

Good Day Sunshine festival map

Good Day Sunshine is a test run for what could be a bumper crop of new COVIDsafe festivals in the west. “We’re planning three other events this summer,” Macpherson tells TIO.

Keep an eye out for Macpherson’s full TIO interview in the coming days.

This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.