2021 Victorian Backcountry Festival Cancelled

August 31st, 2021
Unfortunately the 4th Annual Victorian Backcountry Festival, scheduled for Hotham this weekend , has been cancelled. Photo: Dylan Robinson

Mountainwatch | Press Release

With the announcement from the Victorian government that the current lockdown will be extended beyond Thursday September 2, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the 2021 Backcountry Festival at Mount Hotham. Given the extended COVID-19 restrictions, we have no option but to cancel.

We have set the dates for next year – September 2, 3 and 4, back at Mt Hotham.

We are, of course, deeply disappointed to have to make this decision. A huge amount of effort goes into planning events like this and it has been especially hard with a constantly changing situation with lockdowns. Many businesses and individuals have come on board to back the event and we thank the Mt Hotham community for the support and good will they have offered the festival.

We have to say a huge thank you to the people behind the scenes who have worked so hard on the 2021 festival.

We remain enthusiastic about preparing for next year and are currently looking into offering a simple online event this weekend – make sure you follow the Backcountry Festival Facebook page to learn about details as they are released..

This winter has been hard for everyone, especially the mountain and valley businesses that have had another shortened season. We hope that, if possible, you can transfer your bookings with on mountain accommodation you may have booked to next year rather than seeking a refund.

For people who have registered for the festival, we will be in touch soon.

For the tour guide/tail guide volunteers, Simon Murray will contact you separately in the coming days.

This continues to be a 100% volunteer run event, by the community for the community. Volunteering with us is a great opportunity to make new friends and join a group of like-minded individuals who want to help out and support the backcountry community. Our call out for event or tour volunteers is always open and you can apply by contacting anne@backcountry-festival.com.

In the meantime, we hope you are in good spirits. These are hard times, but we will get through it. The mountains will still be there when this is over.

Cam, for the organising team