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Two of Melbourne's most loved annual events are off the cards for 2021, with Melbourne city council announcing that both the Moomba Parade and Birdman Rally will not proceed this year.
The Birdman Rally has been serving up chaotic energy in Melbourne since 1976, with competitors donning costumes and dubious flight machines before launching themselves into the Yarra for charity – last year's rally raised a record $111,858. The popularity of the rally has been its downfall, however, with lord mayor Sally Capp saying: "The Birdman Rally normally attracts almost 40,000 people in a confined space so it’s just not possible during a pandemic.”
Likewise, the Moomba Parade (which features nearly 2,000 performers, dozens of colourful floats and an audience of more than 30,000) isn't able to be run safely in the current climate. However, the council is hopeful that Moomba itself – the annual festival held over the March long weekend – can still run and has submitted a Covid-Safe plan for the event to the Victorian Government.
Should the festival proceed, it's likely to look a little different, especially since the event regularly attracts more than a million people. It is likely that Moomba will be ticketed to assist with safety and contract tracing, though most of the festival events would remain free. "Unfortunately the Moomba Parade cannot be delivered as a ticketed event, so it won’t be going ahead on its usual route through Domain Parklands," said Capp. "Instead we are working on plans for a re-imagined Moomba Playground at the Queen Victoria Gardens."
Moomba is planned for March 5 to 8 2021. For up to date information on the festival, visit the website.