Iconic Torquay event cancelled

Torquay’s Nightjar festival will not go ahead in January.

Due to the uncertainty around major events and gatherings in Victoria, Nightjar organiser and founder Lyndelle Flintoft said the festival was left with little choice in making what was a difficult call.

Flintoft said holding a smaller or different looking version of Nightjar had been floated, but given the amount of time it takes to put together an event like this and the financial requirements, she felt it was best to gear-up for a huge 2022.

“We’ve all just got to accept that it’s a big change to the world and we’ve all got to sit still for the moment and come back bigger and better next year,” Flintoft said.

“You can’t put in that much work and then turn around and say, ‘oh, we can’t hold the event we’ve been planning for’.

“The decision was really taken away from us, we were left with no option.

“That will give us a year or so to think about Nightjar and how it can evolve.”

Nightjar is an iconic Torquay event, having run for a decade.

The Nightjar festival welcomes more than 10,000 people to the event, which is a vibrant mix between musical festival and night market.

Flintoft said while it was disappointing to not be able to put on the event in 2021, the flow-on effect to businesses and the community was the most disappointing.

“It’s devastating for all the businesses that Nightjar supported.

“Nightjar brought in millions of dollars to the region, it’s not just us an event that will suffer, it’s the businesses around us, the community.

“Everyone who is in the events industry in Victoria is hurting.”