It is with great sadness that we confirm the Hyde Park Festival will not proceed in 2022. 

 

The Rotary Club of North Perth has not taken this decision lightly but after much consultation with the event management team and other stakeholders, the decision has been made to cancel the 2022 Hyde Park Festival due to ongoing risks posed by the current community spread of COVID-19. 

 

Whilst we are proud to support small business in Perth and celebrate the longest running free community event, the Hyde Park Festival, recent COVID-19 spread in Perth and the ever-changing event requirements and parameters, has significantly increased the risks of running a large-scale event such as ours could have on the community. 

 

Rotary has a duty of care to ensure our community is safe and that people’s health is our priority. 

 

The Rotary Club of North Perth’s president, Ian Wooten, said whilst this was a very hard decision for the club to come too, we believe this is the right one. 

 

“Despite our exhaustive planning and diligence in regard to COVID-19 the risk to the public, our volunteers and our service providers has created too much uncertainty for the event to continue in 2022.”

 

“Whilst we understand the cancellation of the festival is incredibly disappointing especially to those small businesses doing it so tough at the moment, as well as the event industry as a whole, we have a responsibility not only to the community but also our volunteers who make it possible for the event to run each year. This decision will protect our local community as well as ensure the future of the Hyde Park Festival and most importantly the people and the charities this event allows us to support each year.”

 

“After careful consideration and much deliberation, this decision has been made and we hope the community will understand and support us, as we now look towards to bring back the Hyde Park Festival, bigger and better in 2023.” 

 

Major sponsor, the City of Vincent, Mayor Emma Cole said “We know this was a very tough decision for the Rotary Club of North Perth, after 34 years of running the much-loved Hyde Park Festival. The festival is a big event, attracting thousands of people from across the metro area. In these uncertain times, with growing COVID-19 cases, it is so important for public health to be prioritised. It is also extra challenging for a voluntary group to manage the requirements and risks that come with a large-scale event at this time. No doubt we will be back to celebrating the Hyde Park Festival in 2023. I thank all of the volunteers involved, for your commitment and passion.”

 

Whilst we are devastated that the 2022 Hyde Park Festival won’t be proceeding, we look forward to seeing you all in the future as we continue to support the Perth community, small businesses, and the beneficiaries of this event.