The music industry has felt the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic more acutely than most, but now a festival in regional Queensland is using its platform to encourage festival goers to get vaccinated.
Savannah in the Round will take place over three days at Mareeba, west of Cairns, this weekend and will feature artists like Sneaky Sound System, John Butler, John Williamson and Lee Kernaghan.
Organisers have teamed up with the Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service to set up a pop-up clinic at the festival, which will offer Pfizer vaccines to people as they arrive to the ground.
Walk-in, register and away you go
Festival director James Dein said the clinic would be an Australian-first.
"The music industry has been promoting and supporting and pushing for vaccination broadly through its own program, #Vaxthenation, and we thought it was a good idea and happy to support it," he said.
He said construction had begun on a tent facility that would be used by nurses on the day.
"As you come through the front gates, fairly shortly after that … we're building with a tent structure with a floor and an appropriate workspace for the medical people to be able to operate.
"It's pretty easy, as I understand it, walk in, register, and away you go."
About 12,000 people are expected to attend the festival over three days.
Mr Dein said it was much different from last year, the festival's launch, when ravers were forced to sit at tables due to COVID-19 dancing restrictions.
"This is its first year in this large format, it was a bit of a trial run.
"This year's the fully blown deal, you can dance at this festival, you can move around, you're not restricted to be staying in your seating."
Those who want to be vaccinated will need to bring their Medicare card.
