Tamworth Regional Council Australia Day 2022: no fireworks or music in the park as council plans COVID-safe events

There will be no fireworks, or the usual free concert at Bicentennial Park, with those plans going out the window with the postponement of the Tamworth Country Music Festival to April.

Despite neighbouring council's such as Narrabri cancelling all public festivities on January 26 due to COVID-19 concerns, Tamworth Regional Council (TRC) mayor Russell Webb said it was important the day is still celebrated locally.

"Of course our community want that to continue," he said.

"It's something that's so important to us as Australians wherever we come from, the majority of people want to celebrate Australia Day.

"We're going to allow that to occur, we're going to be a big part of that and we're going to make it a great day.

"What we won't be doing is having a band in the park and fireworks and all those sorts of things - that's not going to happen."

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Formal celebrations at Tamworth Town Hall, including the citizenship ceremony and the presentation of the annual Australia Day awards, will go ahead in-person.

Barraba, Manilla, Nundle, Kootingal and Bendemeer will also host their own celebrations.

A council spokesperson said all planned events have COVID-safe plans in place and attendees will be required to adhere to current Public Health Order requirements.

Cr Webb said securing more Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) for the local community going forward could be a focus of event planning.

"We do RAT tests now with all our staff and we work with government agencies to see what we can do in the best way we possibly can to service our community," he said.

"We will certainly be standing up for our community to try and get whatever we need to service those that need them."

Preferring to take a positive stance on the current COVID situation, Cr Webb added he was hopeful the Omicron strain would disappear by April's music festival.

"To be honest with you, I'm hopeful this Omicron strain will peter off and in the month or two to come we won't be worrying too much about this," he said.

"I'm positive about that. I think that's probably where we're going to end up. Let's pray to god that we don't get another strain."

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