Mussel Festival calls off 2021 event

PORTARLINGTON Mussel Festival organisers hope to come back bigger and better in 2022, after announcing the cancellation of next year’s festival.
The Portarlington Mussel Festival committee of management announced on social media on Monday “with deep regret and heavy hearts” that January’s festival
was cancelled.
“As you know COVID-19 has turned our world upside down,” the post read.
“We have not taken this decision lightly, but after considerable discussions, including taking into account the current positions of both state and federal governments, the health and wellbeing of our community and festival visitors must be our priority.
“The virus is unpredictable and rules are being changed and we feel it is appropriate to make a decision now rather than being forced to do so closer to our event.
“We are very aware of the impact of this health crisis on our local community, stallholders, sponsors and entertainers and sincerely apologise for the inconvenience and disappointment caused by the cancellation of the Jan 2021 Portarlington Mussel Festival.
“Thank you for understanding at this incredibly challenging time for us all.
“We wish all our local community, sponsors, stallholders and entertainers good health and look forward to welcoming you back in January 2022, as we hope to deliver a bigger and better festival which we can hopefully celebrate together again.”
This year’s festival drew crowds of more than 18,000 people, who devoured 10 tonnes of local mussels
Profits from the mussel festival are donated to a variety of community groups, and to date local organisations have shared in more than $230,000.