Organisers of upcoming events are forging ahead with their plans, but continue to contend with uncertainty amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Lost Trades Fair in Bendigo was one of the last big events to take place before the health crisis took hold in Australia last March.
Organiser Lisa Rundell is working towards holding the 2021 fair on March 6 and 7, but is prepared for the very real likelihood it will not be able to run.
More local news: Agencies mark 10 years since devastating floods
Ms Rundell said their plans were before the government, who would determine if the event was COVID-safe.
She will also have to wait for the government to move Victoria into 'COVID-safe Summer' phase three, when free-standing events will be permitted; currently, the state is in phase one.
Changes have been made to the Lost Trades Fair this year, including a cut in the number of patrons, at 4500 rather than 10,000 per day.
Contact tracing was also relatively easy for them, Ms Rundell said, because they would be able to garner patrons' contact information and times of attendance through their tickets.
But she has to weigh up the risks of forging ahead when circumstances can change so quickly, in the way of border closures and lockdowns.
She said she also needed to consider whether holding the event was the safest course of action, even if all approvals necessary were granted.
"The health of the state is our priority... We can't take any risks," Ms Rundell said.
She said she expected to make a decision within the next couple of weeks.
More local news: Police investigate house fire in Eaglehawk
The Castlemaine State Festival is scheduled to run for 17 days from March 19, but director Glyn Roberts says "it will be like no festival that has come before it".
Mr Roberts said organisers came to realise last year international acts were not going to make it over for the 2021 event, and even a lot of interstate performers would not come.
But he said the festival was lucky to have strong local subscription, so they could reshape things and still present to only locals if need be.
This year, the festival will be spread across two outdoor stages and there will be at least an hour between shows, to allow for cleaning and the safe dispersal of patrons.
Mr Roberts said this slowed everything down, which was why the festival had been stretched from 10 to 17 days.
This also gave organisers time to respond if anything arose, he said.
"We think we've built the most flexible model," Mr Roberts said.
He said the team was also watching other similar festivals elsewhere closely.
There would be a small amount of events live-streamed this year too, Mr Roberts said, which could possibly be rolled out more widely if needed.
"I think there's a real opportunity here to show them how innovative we are and how great this region is," he said.
Rosemary Sorensen, from the Bendigo Writers Festival, said the latest news around COVID-19 was disappointing, but they were preparing for restrictions anyway so planning continued.
The festival is scheduled for May 7 to 9.
"It's all about flexibility and being able to adapt," Ms Sorensen said.
Organisers have been planning both live and virtual events.
Ms Sorensen said international speakers would tune in virtually, and they anticipated live events to be audience-controlled.