Oz Fest

After discussions at Oz Fest 15 and over the following days, Sydney, NSW has been chosen for 2019. After several years of regional locations, only a portion those who have attended in recent years have attended an Oz Fest in state capital city. While many will have “played tourist” in Sydney we hope to find some interesting activities. The location Sydney will allow easy international & Au domestic access for many people.



The May USA Memorial Day weekend seems very popular with USA based Flyer-talkers, and that is the weekend that was most favoured by far. We have bowed to that request, and again chosen that weekend - as we have for all other 15 Oz Fests. Around half the attendees are USA based at each Oz Fest.

That public holiday in the USA is Monday May 27, 2019. Remember if you leave Australia on afternoon of Monday May 27, you arrive back in the USA also early morning on Monday May 27. A lot of time no matter where you live in the USA, to get back home, unpack, have an early night, and get organised for a day at the office next day etc.

There have been 15 successful Oz Fests so far - in Sydney, (twice) Brisbane, Melbourne, Hobart Tasmania, Cairns, Adelaide, Darwin, Canberra, Perth, Alice Springs-Ayers Rock/Uluru in 2014, New Zealand 2015, the Gold Coast QLD 2016, Newcastle NSW 2017 & Noosa QLD 2018.

Oz Fest 05 Hobart (2008) had 40 members signed up – good considering only one attending was a local, Cairns (2009) saw 59 turning up - just beating out by 1 the then previous record attendance of any Oz Fest 02 (2005) in Sydney - 58 attendees. Adelaide (2010) was a little too big, with 75 attendees, but not all of whom were active FT'ers, causing some issues. The slightly less accessible Darwin (2011) kept numbers down to previous sorts of levels - 44. Canberra (2012) had 51 Platinum’s show up. Perth (2013) had a surprisingly large number of Platinum’s - 59 (an equal record number of attendees). Surprising given the cost and distance of attending for most. Oz Fest 11 in The Red Centre (2014) attracted a few less Platinum’s, as airline access was very limited, and costs very high, but the 37 FT'ers that took this reality on board. Lots of them Americans - enjoyed the weekend, and were true Oz Festers, to get there and back. Oz Fest 12 (2015) right up in the Bay of Islands of New Zealand got a very respectable 41 attendees, after several last minute cancellations, and despite the rather remote location chosen for the event. Oz Fest 13 Gold Coast (2016) had 44 attendees. Oz Fest 15 Newcastle, NSW (2017) had 42 attendees, with many taking the train up from Sydney. Oz Fest 16 in Noosa had 40 attend with many driving and bus from Brisbane.

The weather for the past 15 Oz Fests has been in general, superb and sunny. Despite June 1st, being our official Winter start date. Even in Tasmania our most southern city, we were truly blessed with unusually nice weather. We all thought Canberra and Hobart would be a weather challenge for sure, but the Saturday and Sunday gave quite perfect weather. The weather in 2018 for Noosa was a challenge at times, but everyone survived.

A common access account for the ad-hoc organising committee titled “Oz Fest (OzFest Organisers)” was approved by the Flyertalk Community Director, and the early informational posts here in this thread will show as that account, so they can be edited at will by those involved.

Our ad-hoc Committee will be tracking attendees, and hotels, and flights, and activity sign ups etc in these early posts. These are incredibly time consuming to keep updated, and all attendees owe them a huge vote of thanks. Hopefully we can once again call on the falconea’s to be name tag/table tag supremos, and we are well on our way!
_________________________________________________
Subscribe to this thread using thread tools (top of the page).
Or just click here: Subscribe to Oz Fest 16 Sydney, Australia