“As soon as we heard the bad news [the Bluesfest cancellation] I thought we have to support the food vendors - I am going to ask everyone else to spread the word when I get home,” Ms Clayton said.

For others, such as Jerry King of Jerry’s Smokehouse, the festival cancellation for the second year running, may just be the final straw for his catering empire. He had ordered 180kg of pork, 120kg of beef brisket and 120kg of chicken wings, which he spent Good Friday grilling, in the hope he would sell from his Mullumbimby commercial kitchen at a reduced price to locals over the Easter break.

“It would have been my seventh Bluesfest and I was just hoping to make back half of the money I lost from last year’s stall cancellation,” he said.

”My income is mainly through festivals all over the country, so this past year business has been down 93 per cent down...now I am considering other options. Food may not be in my future as it has been so badly hit in the pandemic,” he said.

Food vendors had come from all over the country to what was to be Australia’s first major music festival since the COVID-19 pandemic. Dylan Box from the Newcastle-based Bao Brothers, had spent days on food prep ahead of the festival.

“We had ordered about 150 kilos of chicken, 100 kilos of pork and over 6,000 bao buns for the five days of the festival, and were set up ready to serve when we heard the festival was cancelled,” said Mr Box, who was hoping for a taking of over $50,000 over the five days.

Instead, he packed up and was heading home to Newcastle, after telling the two backpackers he had employed that he no longer needed them.

“We at least have other stores where we can reuse this stock but for some food trucks, with all their suppliers to pay, this could mean the end,” he said.

Already some food vendors had taken out a class action against Bluesfest organisers last year for holding their money when the 2020 festival was cancelled because of COVID-19. The stallholders won the case but Bluesfest will appeal that decision and is awaiting a court date.