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Record crowds have flocked to the Big Red Bash music festival over recent days with around 10,000 campers and caravanners making their way to the outback Queensland event.

Taking place from Tuesday 6th July until today (8th July), the event has bounced back from last year’s cancellation with the first day saw welcoming the biggest crowd in the event’s history, with close to 10,000 festival goers roaming the 130 hectare site and concert arena on a remote cattle station outside Birdsville in far-western Queensland.

While lockdowns and border closures over recent week threatened whether the Big Red Bash could proceed, events’ approved COVIDSafe plan and on-site rapid COVID-19 testing enabled it to proceed.

Greg Donovan, the festival’s founder and Managing Director of the Outback Music Festival Group,

told the ABC “it’s been a huge challenge, but we’ve worked through so many issues and solved so many problems and just managed to move on.

“The buzz out here is absolutely incredible

“There is relief and jubilation - and we’re living proof that a major festival can be staged in Covid times with the right procedures and safety protocols in place.

“It’s a new way of doing things, but we’re showing it can be done. It’s been an absolute roller coaster ride to cross the line on day one - but seeing the excitement and happiness of performers and patrons alike it’s been totally worth it.”

The enormous size of the concert and plaza area allows 6.3 metre² for each ticket holder  with widened walkways and large 90 metre²campsites also part of the plans that allow the event organisers to easily accommodate Covid safe rules and social distancing.

The ongoing COVID-19 situation left some performers from the original bill - such as Kate Ceberano and Shannon Noll - unable to attend while replacement acts such as Busby Marou and Eurogliders were added to the bill, alongside headliner Paul Kelly.

Big Red Bash images courtesy of Mel Tempest.

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