Music legend rounds out huge line-up
AUSSIE ICON: Shannon Noll will be VDMFest's Aussie headliner in 2020.
Aaron Goodwin
18th Jun 2020 10:00 AM
VDMFest organiser Mark Di Ruggiero might have coerced the biggest act the Banana Shire has ever seen to his 2020 festival.
The 2003 Australian Idol runner-up and music icon Shannon Noll will be the Aussie headline act for VDMFest on October 3-4.
Mr Di Ruggiero said after he announced Mr Noll would headline the festival ticket sales immediately spiked.
"Given the fact that I'm limited to 2500 tickets and the line-up I have got I will be surprised if they haven't sold out by the end of next week," Mr Di Ruggiero said.
"He's getting that Aussie legend status, he's been around for a while and gone from strength to strength since being runner-up in Australian Idol in 2003."
"I had some options I was considering to headline and Shannon was one of the ones that came in and answered before a couple of the others.
"It was getting to a point where I needed and wanted to get the line-up wrapped and out there, and what better than having Aussie legend Shannon come on-board."
New COVID industry regulations for concerts, ticketed venues and sporting venues dictate that venues that can seat up to 40,000 people are only permitted to host 25 per cent capacity.
This means that VDMFest at this stage can only sell and seat 2500 seated and socially distanced patrons because the Biloela Showgrounds has a capacity of 10,000.
BIG STAR: Shannon Noll performing at the Bush To Bay Music Festival.
"It's all a step in the right direction and at least we can go ahead at this stage."
"I believe it will be one of the only major music festivals to go ahead this year in Queensland.
"I've held strong and been one of the only ones that was holding off on my announcement.
"I always stated that I wasn't going to make the announcement on if I was going ahead or cancelling at the end of July."
Mr Di Ruggiero has offered a full refund or exchange for 2021 tickets should this year's show be forced to cancel per COVID restrictions.
"I'm going to be guided strict conditions I would say and I'm still in discussions with what I need to do."
"I don't know if we can essentially have a moshpit as such but there'll be ambulances on board and hand sanitisers and things like that and I'd have to display COVID signs at this point in time
"In 2021 I would offer the same line-up and see who would be available at that date and go from there.
"With the amount of people that haven't had the chance to go to a festival this year, there's tens of thousands champing at the bit to get to something."
biloela music festival shannon noll
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