Organisers of the WA Day Festival have announced the cancellation of this year’s edition, just days before it was supposed to kick off, due to extreme weather.
In a statement shared by radio station RTRFM this afternoon (May 30), they explained that the event – which was scheduled to take place this coming Sunday (June 2) and Monday (June 3) at the Optus Stadium precinct in Burswood Park – has been axed due to the heavy rainfall Perth (Boorloo) has faced over the past 48 hours, “and the forecast of even heavier rains and storms on the way”.
“We totally understand why festival organisers have made the difficult decision to cancel the festival in the interests of public safety (including that of performers),” wrote a representative for RTRFM, noting they “appreciated the opportunity to collaborate on this celebration of local music”.
RTRFM’s statement continued: “We encourage you to spend the upcoming long weekend listening to WA’s world-beating artists. Be sure to keep on supporting WA music and musicians, especially in live settings, including those programmed to play both Sunday and Monday’s festival!”
This year’s WA Day Festival was slated to feature Guy Sebastian and Pond as its headliners, with additional performances from acts like Eskimo Joe, Sneaky Sound System, Siobhan Cotchin, The Waifs, Grievous Bodily Calm and Mia June. Upon the lineup’s reveal last week, organisers faced backlash for the amount of non-local artists featured on it.
