As a gesture of gratitude for their tireless efforts, frontline workers are being invited to snap up some of the 5,000 tickets on sale for the Stage 88 Australia Day Concert for free. The event will be held in Commonwealth Park on Tuesday 26 January from 1pm to 9pm.
Set to be one of the country’s largest Australia Day celebrations, the concert features a line-up comprising James Reyne, Daryl Braithwaite, Lee Kernaghan, Kingswood, Fanny Lumsden, and local performers Kim Yang and Lisa Richards.
National Capital Authority CEO Sally Barnes told Canberra Daily the gesture is being made to frontline workers from ACT Health, Southern NSW Local Health District, doctors and nurses, ACT Emergency Services Agency and ambulance organisations to acknowledge their tireless work throughout 2020.
“It was such a huge year for the frontline workers protecting us from COVID and always being there for the community,” she said.
“We thought it was a small token of our appreciation if they could be in the front line for the concert.”
To secure their spots for the Australia Day concert, frontline workers are asked to reserve their tickets online via Moshtix and use the code ‘FRONTLINE’ to get the ‘First Responder’, minimum set of two or more. Then on arrival at the concert, they will be asked to provide their work ID.
With a number of tickets set aside for the frontline workers, public interest has otherwise been very positive, according to Ms Barnes, with tickets reportedly selling well.
“There’s been a lot of interest, a lot of social media interest,” she said. “Those iconic singers that cross over all age groups, it’s a good time to get the frontline workers in before they all sell out.”
The event has a limit of 5,000 people, all safety protocols have been checked off by ACT Health, and marshals will be on hand to escort the public to their seats. Attendees are being asked to arrive in a staggered fashion to manage people coming in.
Ms Barnes said the team behind the concert, including event partners NCA, the National Australia Day Council and Events ACT, has “worked really hard” navigating border closures and other obstacles.
“I’m so proud … with stage infrastructure coming from Brisbane and artists coming from Sydney we’ve had to be flexible,” she said.
“Every time we thought we had plan A settled we had to go to plan B and plan C.
“It is that economic stimulus for that part of the entertainment industry, we’re very proud we’ve been able to make that opportunity happen.”
