Media Release

With severe wet weather and possible flooding expected across much of New South Wales from the recent and predicted rainfall, Parkes Shire Council has made the difficult decision to cancel the 2022 Trundle ABBA Festival.
Council’s Mayor, Cr Ken Keith OAM, said the decision to cancel the event was made after Council received a briefing from the NSW State Emergency Service and Resilience NSW, regarding widespread heavy rainforecast for much of New South Wales prior to the event.
“We left the final decision for as long as possible, hoping for an improved forecast, but unfortunately, the forecast has deteriorated rather than improved,” Cr Keith said.
“For all involved, we need to make a decision far enough in advance so people don’t get caught out with a last-minute, ad-hoc decision, and alternative arrangements for attendees and suppliers can be made.
“This has not been an easy decision to make, but it is inevitable given the severe wet weather conditions expected on an already saturated catchment.
“The Central West has already experienced extraordinary rainfall throughout 2022, including severe flooding in the Trundle and Tullamore districts in late September, and the advice we’ve received is that we need to prepare for a prolonged wet spell.
“As a consequence of the severe weather predictions, our insurance provider advised us last week, that they would no longer be able to provide flood and wet weather coverage for the Trundle ABBA Festival, and we have not been able to source alternative insurance coverage.
“While we explored options to reschedule the festival to a later date; the reality is that we can continue to expect above average rainfall to at least the end of the year, and potentially into the New Year, with the likelihood of being able to secure flood and wet weather insurance remaining slim.” Mayor Keith said all ticket holders will have the price of their tickets refunded.
“We know how disappointing this is for all those who had purchased tickets and were looking forward to attending the first ABBA Festival since 2019, as well as the Trundle community, who were looking forward to welcoming ABBA fans back, but we appreciate everyone’s understanding, given the situation we find ourselves in,” he said.
Parkes Shire Council had agreed to deliver the 2022 Trundle ABBA Festival, after having been approached by the former event organisers to assume responsibility for the event.
“The ABBA Festival had eight great years prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the situation we find ourselves in is incredibly disappointing, especially given how hard Council’s Events team had worked over recent months to plan a terrific revival for the festival,” Cr Keith said.
“Unfortunately, the ongoing unpredictability of weather cycles, coupled with the difficulty of obtaining events insurance coverage, means that hosting outdoor events is certainly a high-risk business.