Published on Friday, 18 February 2022 at 2:41:14 PM
The Shire of East Pilbara has come to the hard decision to postpone the 2022 Outback Fusion Festival amidst COVID-19 concerns.
The festival was going to be held from 25th – 27th March, but due to ongoing risk of COVID-19 potentially making its way to the East Pilbara community, it has been moved back to September.
Shire President Anthony Middleton said the event, which incorporates Harmony Day festivities, is one of the Shire’s premier events and the decision to postpone was difficult, but the safety of the community was paramount.
“We love the Outback Fusion Festival and everything it represents about our community. It celebrates our cultural diversity, our heritage, our future and our unique landscape,” he said.
“So to best protect everyone on our unique and diverse community, postposing until September is the best course of action. It will also ensure that we can put on the best event possible, rather than foregoing some of our planned attractions due to travel restrictions.
“In a sense, we’re returning to our roots, as the festival has historically been held in September each year. When COVID-19 reached Australia in 2020, we postponed until March 2021.”
Cr Middleton said the Shire team had been working very hard with stakeholders, stallholders and sponsors to make the festival as entertaining as possible, and thanked them all for their hard work.
“I cannot express enough how grateful I am for all the support we’ve had up to now for the festival,” he said.
“This includes the $30,000 Lotterywest grant we received this month and the $15,000 grant from Tourism WA, which will go towards making the festival the best it can be. That funding will still go towards the rescheduled event in September.
“To all our stallholders, suppliers and entertainment, we hope to see you back in September.”
In addition to the new Outback Fusion Festival date, the associated Fusion Photography Competition will also be postponed to realign with the September event.
Entries for the competition closed on 11th February, but will reopen in June to allow for more entries. The top 20 entries will be used as part of a photography exhibition that will be held at the festival in September.
Existing entries are still valid for the competition. More information will come soon about entries reopening.
“We have a lot of exciting things planned for the 2022 Outback Fusion Festival, so we look forward to seeing you then,” Cr Middleton said.
The 2022 Outback Fusion Festival will be held from 2nd – 4th September 2022.
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