Groovin the Moo postpone their 2021 event; launch new Fresh Produce concert series

Header image by Tao Jones.

Update: Fresh Produce's 2021 lineups have been announced, starring G Flip, Cosmo's Midnight, Spacey Jane, Lime Cordiale, Mallrat and Hooligan Hefs. 

Find the full lineups and more information here.

When shit hit the fan last year, Groovin the Moo were one of the first festivals to act. Back in March 2020 (when the Australian government called a national lockdown that would through music events in jeopardy for an unknown amount of time), Groovin the Moo quickly made the call to pull the plug and focus on their 2021 ventures, understanding - and correctly so - that the whole coronavirus pandemic wouldn't blow over in time for their April/May events to run (or that acts like AJ Tracey, Channel Tres, Clairo and Kelis wouldn't be able to make it to Australia for that time, which was also correct).

It was said that they doubled down on their year ahead, focusing on keeping the festival afloat and moving; ensuring that Groovin the Moo's stake in regional tourism and culture would persist (incredibly important, considering many of the regional centres the festival visits don't get other music events of this size, let alone focused around an all-ages model).

Now, comes some bittersweet news about what that entails.

First, the bad news: Groovin the Moo 2021 will not be going ahead. It's something we all saw coming - festivals of that size are going to be incredibly difficult to run until proper vaccine distribution occurs, and even then who knows? - but in a statement today, Cattleyard Promotions (the company behind the festival) officially announced that the festival will be skipping this year due to ongoing restrictions: "It is with a heavy heart that we need to postpone Groovin the Moo for the second year," the festival's director Steve Halpin says. "We’re really going to miss GTM and not being able to spend another year with our crews, artists, team members, suppliers and you!"

Now, comes the good news: Groovin the Moo are focusing their time on a regional concert series, coming around Australia this Spring. Fresh Produce - named after the lineup of local-based, often-underground musicians at Groovin the Moo every year - will be launching later this year; the concert series visiting the same six locations as the usual Groovin the Moo tour - Townsville QLD, Bunbury WA, Maitland NSW, Canberra ACT, Bendigo VIC and Wayville SA - as well as two more, QLD's Toowoomba and Glenorchy, Tasmania.

The event will run from mid-August through to the first week of October, with lineups that reflect the greatness of Australia's music scene and its promising next-generation - something that's always played a major role in Groovin the Moo line-ups, but is the sole star of Fresh Produce, undistracted by international touring acts playing the event. 

It'll be a single-stage outdoor event with the similar lineups at each location's two-days, each venue being adjusted depending on each state's restrictions and regulations, built from the Cattleyard Promotions team using grant money obtained the Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand (RISE) Government initiative. Line-ups, tickets, and the rest of the deal will be announced shortly, but in the meantime, saddle up, and have a quick squiz of the dates below to find out the closest show to you:

Fresh Produce 2021 Dates (all dates are 18+): 

TOWNSVILLE, QLD - Friday 13 August and Saturday 14 August, Murray Sports Complex
BUNBURY, WA - Friday 20 August and Saturday 21 August, Hay Park
MAITLAND, NSW - Friday 27 August and Saturday 28 August, Maitland Showground
TOOWOOMBA, QLD - Friday 3 September and Saturday 4 September, Toowoomba Showgrounds
GLENORCHY, TAS - Friday 10 September and Saturday 11 September, Hobart Showground
CANBERRA, ACT - Friday 17 September and Saturday 18 September, Exhibition Park In Canberra (EPIC)
BENDIGO, VIC - Friday 24 September and Saturday 25 September, Bendigo’s Prince of Wales Showground
WAYVILLE, SA - Friday 1 October and Saturday 2 October, Adelaide Showground

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