Victoria-based show-goers will need to exhibit more patience, with the Caravan Industry Victoria cancelling its popular Melbourne Leisurefest show in early October, and pushing back the start time of its inaugural online show by a few weeks.
Scheduled to run October 1-4 at the Sandown Racecourse, the annual Melbourne Leisurefest is the second-biggest caravan show in Victoria and one of the biggest in the country, attracting up to 50,000 spectators and hundreds of exhibitors.
"We have been monitoring the current circumstances and changes to State Government restrictions, and with a heavy heart, our Executive made the decision to cancel the 2020 Melbourne Leisurefest," the CIV said on social media.
The COVID-19 pandemic is having a huge impact on the Victorian caravan industry and associated activities, with caravan manufacturing at more than 50 Melbourne factories recently halted for a six week period due to the latest Stage 4 lockdowns.
Since holding the Victorian Caravan Supershow in late February, the CIV has also been forced to cancel its annual Border Caravan & Camping Expo, scheduled to run August 21-23. The industry association is yet to make an announcement on whether its final outdoor show of the year, the Bendigo Leisurefest in November 22-24, will go ahead.
Originally scheduled to run September 2-6, the CIV's inaugural online caravan show has been pushed back and is now scheduled for September 30-October 4. Caravan manufacturing in Melbourne is set to resume on September 13 after the completion of the six-week Melbourne lockdown.
While other major caravan shows in Sydney and Brisbane have also been cancelled, some smaller shows in rural regions not as affected by COVID-19 continue to be held, including Queensland's Fraser Coast Expo at the Maryborough Showgrounds.
The three-day Expo is running August 14-16 with COVID Safe practices in place including online ticket sales only, and social distancing measures inside the show.