With the closures spreading due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there are serious doubts about whether the Mount Isa Mines Rodeo and the Isa Street Festival, with its star attraction of Darryl Braithwaite, will go ahead.
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The bans on large gatherings (maximum 100 indoors and 500 outdoors) do not have an end timeframe with Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk warning they could last six months.
Boulia has already cancelled all its events to September 1 but there is no word yet on Mount Isa's biggest week of the year, rodeo week from Wednesday August 5 to Sunday August 9.
The four-day rodeo is the biggest in the southern hemisphere and has run every year since 1959.
A spokesperson for Mount Isa Mines Rodeo said they were waiting on further advice from the Government expected at the end of the week.
"Once this is received, we will update further," the spokesperson said.
At this stage Mount Isa City Council has only cancelled events to end April and Council has set up a COVID-19 response group to ensure the community has access to current information about council services and activities during the pandemic.
"Currently, all council services are maintained as usual, however, we will inform of any changes," Council said
"Some events have now been cancelled including Welcoming Babies Day (March 17), Senior's Morning Melodies (April 7) and ANZAC Day services (April 25).
Mount Isa City Council's main activity in Rodeo week is the Isa Street Festival on Wednesday August 5.
The festival attracts thousands on to the streets from 5pm until late, in a portion of the Mount Isa CBD that is blocked off to traffic including West Street between Isa Street and Grace Street, and Rodeo Drive between West Street and Miles Street.
It starts with a Street Parade through the CBD and there is a Sideshow Alley, market stalls, food stalls and street performers.
This year Mount Isa City Council had arranged for Australian music legend Daryl Braithwaite to be the headline act of this year's Isa Street Festival.
Daryl is the former lead singer of hit '70s Aussie rock band Sherbet and an acclaimed solo performer in his own right and was one of the performers on the huge Fire Fight Australia Concert, which raised more than $10 million to assist those affected by the bushfires.
"I am looking forward to coming back to Mount Isa to play, as it's been quite some time - probably around the Sherbet days," Daryl said a month ago.
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