Cars are exhibited during the Summernats Car Festival in Canberra, Australia, Jan. 6, 2022. The Summernats Car Festival kicked off on Thursday in Canberra. (Photo by Chu Chen/Xinhua)
CANBERRA, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- Despite the weather forecast of rain, hundreds of people in Australia's capital Canberra came out on Thursday morning, sitting on benches or mats along Northbourne Avenue and waiting for the start of a street cruise.
Luckily the rain didn't come. In rumbling and cheers, about 500 cars in a parade down Canberra's main road marked the opening of the 34th Summernats car festival, after this iconic automotive event was canceled last year due to COVID-19 concerns.
"We are about creating really good parties," said Andy Lopez, Summernats co-owner. "It's absolutely sensational (to) be back here in the nation's capital for Summernats 34."
"Like hospitality, tourism, the events' industry has been absolutely poleaxed by the last couple of years," he said. "No matter what's happened ... the Summernats is back."
He told Xinhua that highlights this year of the four-day fest that runs until Sunday included burnout competitions, the launch of elite show cars, as well as concerts and exhibitions.
This year people would also be enjoying, for the first time, a Summernats Fringe Festival, which features live music and street cruises on Friday and Saturday nights.
Lopez expected to have about 2,000 cars participate in the Summernats, which would attract about 80,000 people from all over Australia in the four days.
The Summernats started in 1988 and later became an annual event held at the start of the year. Talking about the charm of the event, Lopez said that people love it because "they love sharing their passion about things, whether it's car, music, (or) football."
Meanwhile, he believed that Summernats shows the city in a different light, and the restaurants and shops are full after a really quiet period of time.
The year 2021 was difficult for many Australian people, as the COVID-19 pandemic forced cities including Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Darwin into lockdown.
Coronavirus continued to plague the country at the start of 2022, and Australia on Thursday reported a new record of more than 70,000 daily infections.
Lopez said a series of measures were taken to ensure the event is COVID-safe.
"We have done a lot of work with ACT Health over the last six months," he said.
"We've created managed capacities at the indoor venues, managed capacities in outdoor areas. We wear masks, indoors compulsory, outdoors recommended. We have our hand(s) sanitized. We have contact tracing, maintaining social distance," he said.
Michelle White, who has attended Summernats for years, was joyful.
"The hype is back and ... everyone is excited and everyone's here for the same reason. It's awesome. I'm so glad that they were able to let it go ahead," she said.
The car she designed will be the first of the 25 to be unveiled on Friday night, which made her very proud.
"It's a big deal. It's like getting married," she told Xinhua. "I've had to sort out the dress, the hair, the makeup. I have to make sure that I look as good as what the car does."
While she would like to keep it as a secret as to how the car looks like, White said that it would be "shiny." "I like a bit of bling in my life," she said.
Among the audiences for the Summernats was 18-year-old Jae Bonazza, who sat on the grass at the city center to watch cruising cars of different shapes and colors going past.
She started coming to the festival when she was a child.
"I have been here pretty much my whole life," she said.
She believed that the event this year could be bigger than the past few years because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the event's cancellation last year.
"The burnouts are probably my favorite part of the Summernats," she said. "It's cool."
Kim Gay, 55, came to Canberra from Ballarat of Victoria.
"Family have always been into cars. Husband is really into cars," she said, her husband sitting beside her.
She said that the Summernats this year is especially fascinating because it is "about getting people well back to normal."
"With our masks and our social distancing and all of that stuff, (it is) getting people out and a little bit back to normality," she said. "Lots of noise, lots of smoke, lots of colors." ■
Cars take part in a city cruise during the Summernats Car Festival in Canberra, Australia, Jan. 6, 2022. The Summernats Car Festival kicked off on Thursday in Canberra. (Photo by Chu Chen/Xinhua)
Cars are exhibited during the Summernats Car Festival in Canberra, Australia, Jan. 6, 2022. The Summernats Car Festival kicked off on Thursday in Canberra. (Photo by Chu Chen/Xinhua)
Cars are exhibited during the Summernats Car Festival in Canberra, Australia, Jan. 6, 2022. The Summernats Car Festival kicked off on Thursday in Canberra. (Photo by Chu Chen/Xinhua)
Cars take part in a city cruise during the Summernats Car Festival in Canberra, Australia, Jan. 6, 2022. The Summernats Car Festival kicked off on Thursday in Canberra. (Photo by Chu Chen/Xinhua)
Cars take part in a city cruise during the Summernats Car Festival in Canberra, Australia, Jan. 6, 2022. The Summernats Car Festival kicked off on Thursday in Canberra. (Photo by Chu Chen/Xinhua)
Cars are exhibited during the Summernats Car Festival in Canberra, Australia, Jan. 6, 2022. The Summernats Car Festival kicked off on Thursday in Canberra. (Photo by Chu Chen/Xinhua)
A burnout show is presented during the Summernats car festival at the Exhibition Park in Canberra, Australia, Jan. 8, 2022. Australia's 34th Summernats car festival has been held in Canberra from January 6 to 9 after this iconic automotive event was canceled last year due to COVID-19 concerns. (Photo by Chu Chen/Xinhua)
A burnout show is presented during the Summernats car festival at the Exhibition Park in Canberra, Australia, Jan. 8, 2022. Australia's 34th Summernats car festival has been held in Canberra from January 6 to 9 after this iconic automotive event was canceled last year due to COVID-19 concerns. (Photo by Chu Chen/Xinhua)
A burnout show is presented during the Summernats car festival at the Exhibition Park in Canberra, Australia, Jan. 8, 2022. Australia's 34th Summernats car festival has been held in Canberra from January 6 to 9 after this iconic automotive event was canceled last year due to COVID-19 concerns. (Photo by Chu Chen/Xinhua)
A burnout show is presented during the Summernats car festival at the Exhibition Park in Canberra, Australia, Jan. 8, 2022. Australia's 34th Summernats car festival has been held in Canberra from January 6 to 9 after this iconic automotive event was canceled last year due to COVID-19 concerns. (Photo by Chu Chen/Xinhua)
A burnout show is presented during the Summernats car festival at the Exhibition Park in Canberra, Australia, Jan. 8, 2022. Australia's 34th Summernats car festival has been held in Canberra from January 6 to 9 after this iconic automotive event was canceled last year due to COVID-19 concerns. (Photo by Chu Chen/Xinhua)
