As the government continues to impose measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, event organisers have had to make the tough decision not to go ahead.
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Griffith's iconic Festa delle Salsicce organiser Roy Catanzariti said at this point in time, the festival is cancelled.
With 1500 people already on the list for tickets and another 150 on the waiting list, he said if anything changes in the meantime, those people will still be first in line for tickets.
"We have already sold out for this year's event, however I haven't taken any money for those yet - so everyone who is on the list for tickets will get first priority if we can run in August," Mr Catanzariti explained.
Pioneer Park's Action Day held every single year on Good Friday, has also been cancelled. An event that sets up the volunteer-based museum for the year ahead, it's going to have major financial impacts.
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The city's public Anzac Day commemorations will not take place after a directive from RSL NSW has stopped all public services across the state from going ahead. RSL NSW acting president Ray James said the public risk was too great.
"This is not a decision we have taken lightly," he said.
Griffith RSL sub-branch member Terry Walsh said "Anzac Day will be commemorated in Griffith" in some capacity, but the sub-branch is yet to convene and decide what form that will take.
Events earmarked for April and May are deciding whether to go ahead, with the Riverina Field Days and the Banna Lane Festival in the process of talking with stakeholders as to their next steps, while the 2020 Vintage Festival has been postponed until the October long weekend.
Effects are being felt across the board with Griffith District Court getting under way for the first time this year, but under new measures all new NSW Supreme and District court jury trials have been cancelled from Monday.
Trials will either be done by a judge-only decision, or witness cross examination will be recorded to be played before a jury at a later date. Jury trials which have already begun will continue.
EVENTS CANCELLED
Public Anzac Day commemorations
The Griffith RSL sub-branch plans to commemorate the day in some format but is yet to convene and decide on how to proceed.
2020 Festa delle Salsicce
The event, due to take place in August, has been cancelled at this point in time. Those who have pre-ordered tickets for the event will be given priority if a decision is made to hold the festival.
Pioneer Park Museum's Action Day
The event, due to take place on Good Friday, has been cancelled.
Griffith Regional Theatre Performances
A number of performances and events due to be held at the Griffith Regional Theatre have been cancelled or postponed.
The Brandenberg Orchestra performance and In Tails with David Hobson and Colin Lane - schedule for March 21 and May 23 respectively - have been cancelled.
Circus Oz: Aurora, scheduled for March 31 and April 1, and a performance of Some Enchanted Evening on April 8 have been postponed.
Leaving Jackson, schedule for March 20, and the Moscow Ballet La Classique troupe's performance of Sleeping Beauty, booked for April 12, will currently be going ahead.
Ticket sales for theatre events are being capped to ensure total attendance remains under 500 people.
Griffith City Library Events
All weekly programs at the city's library - including their Rhyme Time and Storytime programs as well as movie screenings - have been cancelled until further notice.
"The Library will otherwise continue to operate as normal for the time being," a statement posted to the library's Facebook page read.
"We are closely following the advice of the authorities and we will continue to assess the situation in line with mitigation efforts being undertaken across the country."
Leeton SunRice Festival
The event, which runs over the Easter long weekend, has been cancelled, but a 'shades of green' cocktail party scheduled for April 9 may still go ahead.
Narrandera Folk Festival
The inaugural event, which was due to run from March 20 to 22, has been cancelled, however events with capped attendance will be going ahead.
The festival's Bingo event on March 20, a show from Geoffrey Graham on March 21 and the High Tea and Irish Sing-a-long on March 22 will all be going ahead, as will the festivals 'Bidgee Beard' competition - with contestants encouraged to post their photos on the festival's event page on Facebook.
Narrandera Rod Run
The event, due to take place over the Easter weekend, has been cancelled by Narrandera Shire Council. Narrandera mayor Neville Kschenka said the safety of the public was the first priority.
"It is with great regret that we must cancel the biggest event of the year for Narrandera, one that our community loves and has supported for the past 35 years," Councillor Kschenka said.
EVENTS POSTPONED
2020 Vintage Festival
The event which takes over the old Miranda Wines grounds has been postponed until October 3.
Scheduled for April 11, the event organisers have opted to postpone the event until the October long weekend and said in a statement a further decision to cancel the event may be made by the end of June if restrictions on large gatherings continue.
"It is important to note that events such as ours do stimulate the local economy and since many of our vendors will be losing income over the coming months, it would be great if we could hold this event in October and inject some fun and funds back into our community," the statement read.
"Please note that the restrictions placed by the government are in place until Sunday 14th June, when at such time, they will be able to cancel the restriction or continue it. This means by the end of June we may still need to cancel.
"We suggest holding onto your tickets for now but that is entirely up to you."
The event is planned to operate in the exact same manner as it would have if it was to go ahead on April 11, but those wishing to be refunded for their ticket can do so by applying for a refund through the Eventbrite website.
EVENTS POTENTIALLY IN DOUBT
2020 Banna Lane Festival
The organisers of the event, due to run from April 29 to May 3, are holding discussions and reviewing options as to the festival, with a potential postponement of the festival an option.
Riverina Field Days
A decision as to whether this event, due to run over May 15 and 16, will go ahead or is postponed for a later date is pending.
A statement released by the event organisers said "health and safety will always be first priority, however we don't want to rush into any decisions straight away as the situation is constantly evolving and the Riverina Field Days is 2 months away."
The organisers have indicated a decision will be made as to the status of the Field Days in the "coming weeks" after discussions with key stakeholders.
GOING AHEAD
Griffith Foodie Night Markets
The event, due to be held at the Griffith Golf Club on the evening of March 27, plans to go ahead at this stage.
A post on the event's Facebook page by the organisers said it will be "business as usual" for the event but precautions are being undertaken to ensure less than 500 people are in a space at any one time.
"We are a small family business with all our food vendors / retailers and the team at Foodies Markets are your fellow mum and dad Australians," the statement read.
"This is their livelihood and take their business very seriously we ask that you still continue to support all of us and their families as we will continue to bring you great events while following all current protocols."
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