Day On The Green set to return before Xmas

Sirromet Winery General Manager Rod Hill said they had submitted a COVID-safe plan to Queensland Health that would allow 7000 fans to attend a concert. The venue can hold as many 15,000 patrons.

If approved it could be Australia’s biggest outdoor concern during the pandemic.

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The news of A Day On The Green being reactivated comes as Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced a raft of changes for the hospitality and entertainment industry as the state recorded its 15th day straight of no community transmission.

From 1am on October 1, density restrictions will ease at outdoor bars, cafes and restaurants from one person per 4 sqm to one person per 2 sqm, which will effectively double capacity.

The easing of restrictions will also mean capacity at outdoor events with a COVID-Safe plan has been doubled, from 500 to 1000, including end-of-year school events like Christmas carols.

Stadiums will also increase capacity from 50 per cent to 75 per cent, to coincide with the AFL Finals Series.

About 5000 are tipped to attend the Good Day Sunshine Festival at Barnard Park, Busselton WA on October 31 while the Savannah Summer series in Tropical North Queensland fans will be staged in Cairns and Mareeba across October 1-3.

The Sirromet plan includes more “service points” and no standing or general admission tickets with every patron to be seated at the Mt Cotton site.

Mr Hill said he was unsure what category Sirromet Winery fell under, but it was a stadium that could hold considerably more people.

He said their plan was submitted earlier this month and they were waiting to hear if it had been approved or needed to be amended.

“We have submitted a COVID-safe plan to Queensland Health and local council to put on shows this summer and based on the plan … it would be for 7000,” Mr Hill told NCA NewsWire.

“If we have the plan approved and we have had discussions … in the next week and approved, we would love to have one in December this year and then across January, February and March.

“We understand it is going to be Australian artists we are targeting.”

UK rock legend Rod Stewart was due to play A Day On The Green show at Sirromet in November but that gig has been rescheduled to April 2 next year while Simple Minds are set to play on December 12, 2021.

Mr Hill said that even if they were classified as a stadium they may not necessarily want to sell more tickets.

“We are a winery in terms of classification but with our amphitheatre we use it for outdoor events,” he said.

“If we were classified as an outdoor stadium we could have more and it would be great to cater for 10,000 if we felt comfortable and do it in a safe way because we want people to come and feel safe.”

The easing of restrictions has been met with open arms by the Queensland Hotel Association who have been pushing for the limit on one patron per 4 sqm to watered down.

“It’s a small step in the right direction, particularly for Queensland, as we have so many outdoor venues,” QHA Chief Executive Bernie Hogan told NCA NewsWire.

“It’s also a reward for the hard work the hospitality industry has done keeping everyone safe and abiding by their plans.”

Jaz Mooney, owner of the Normanby Hotel which has one of the biggest beer gardens in inner-Brisbane, said the timing of the announcement could not have been better.

The easing of restrictions will allow more people to watch the NRL and AFL finals series in the confined hotel’s beer garden.

“It will mean increased capacity and fewer problems in policing it,” he said.

“But people are into their social distancing and I wonder if they will feel comfortable being closer to other people.”

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