You are here

Yours & Owls 2023

Yours & Owls
at UOW

Plan ahead FAQs

The Yours and Owls (Y&O) Festival is a two-day annual music festival that has been running for almost ten years. Adam Smith, Ben Tillman and Balunn Thomson, proud UOW Alumni, are the brains behind Yours and Owls. This year, the Y&O Festival will be held at UOW Wollongong Campus on 14 and 15 October.

Holding the Y&O Festival at UOW reflects UOW's support and commitment to the Wollongong community.

We provide a logical solution to host the 2023 festival due to the size of the grounds, existing infrastructure, and transport options, as well as being a community meeting place and anchor institution in the region. This is a perfect opportunity to showcase our beautiful campus, serve as an added layer to the student experience, and increase future student awareness of UOW.

The Y&O Festival at UOW will also encourage the community to have fun and enjoy some of the best live music around in a safe and relaxed environment.

UOW has a long association with the gents behind the Y&O Festival.

While they are all proud UOW alumni, they have also been regular entertainment bookers at UOW for the past 10 years. The Y&O team are passionate about and committed to sustainability, and are sustainably conscious when planning their events and festivals. In the coming weeks, Y&O organisers will announce their impressive sustainability initiatives for the 2023 festival at UOW.

Discover the inspiring backstory behind the Y&O Festival

Professor Patricia Davidson, second from left, with the team from Yours and Owls, Adam Smith, Ben Tillman and Balunn Jones. They are standing at an Oval at UOW. Photo: Mark Newsham.

Yours & Owls Festival candid crowd photo

Want to know more?

  • For any event specific questions, please head to the Y&O FAQs.
  • If you are a UOW staff member, and have questions about operations or logistics, email yoursandowls-ops@uow.edu.au.
  • If you are a UOW student, and want to find out more, visit AskUOW
  • If you want to go to the festival, or are attending, and need more info, have questions about going; visit the Y&O website.

Plan around the event

Important: There will be minimal disruption to classes. Only late classes on Friday 13 October, and over the weekend will be affected. All other classes will run as timetabled, unless instructed by exception. 

Pre-festival

Infrastructure will be brought in and sites set up in some parts of campus, specifically around the sports hub ovals 1,2,3, P5, P4 and sciences precinct. Buildings will be open and fully accessible.  

  • Staff: Ask to work from home where possible, to minimise disruption to people navigating around setup, and disruption to carpark access.
  • Students: Access the campus and buildings as usual, with minor disruption. There will be short pedestrian diversions around some sites. Classes and labs are accessible and will run as usual. Check your Moodle site for up-to-date class locations. Please be mindful of crews and site equipment around the campus during setup.  
  • Public Transport: All bus services will be operating to the campus. Only the North Gong (NG) Shuttle route 9 will be impacted. All scheduled NG Shuttle trips will be route 9N trips, from North Wollongong Station to the Northfields Ave bus interchange. The service will still run as timetabled.
  • Car travel: The University Ring Road will be open, but there may be delays.  Please be mindful of trucks, forklifts and workers that may be sharing the road with you at times.  
  • Parking: There will be limited parking in some areas as setup commences.
  • P3 Carpark – limited parking available. Levels GA, GB and 1A of the multistory carpark will only be accessible for displaced Reserved Permit holders from other carparks.
  • P4 Carpooling – limited parking available 7-10 October. The carpark will be closed and no free carpool parking available from 11 October.
  • P5 – there will a reduced number of spaces available
  • Admin Carpark – closed – alternative parking available if required
  • P7 Carpark – unavailable – alternative parking will be available under Bld 32 for mobility permit holders only
  • TAFE Carpark – additional parking has been made available at the TAFE for 9-20 October. Access to the TAFE carpark is via Foleys Lane. Turn left from Foleys Lane into the TAFE campus. The carpark is located at the end of the access road past the gatehouse. There will be a UOW parking attendant at the TAFE carpark gate to assist with access. 

Key message

The key message at this time is to plan ahead! The Y&O team will be setting up for the festival, therefore it’s important to allow for more time to get around campus.  

Please work from home, if possible.

Before showtime

Festival sites inside and outside University Ring Road will be fully set up and University Ring Road will be closed to entering traffic, with the exception of student residents and those with pre-approved access.     

  • Staff and students: To limit the risk of unauthorised access to buildings, staff and students will not be able to enter buildings unless Faculty pre-approves access. Staff and students who need to be on campus for specific reasons, such as classes or labs, will be able to leave. Some classes will be moved to innovation campus, and with students and staff affected communicated with well in advance.  
  • Public Transport: All bus services will be operating to the campus. Only the North Gong (NG) Shuttle route 9 will impacted. All scheduled NG Shuttle trips will be route 9N trips, from North Wollongong Station to the Northfields Ave bus interchange. The service will still run as timetabled.  
  • Car travel: The University Ring Road will be open, but there may be delays.  Please be mindful of trucks, forklifts and workers that may be sharing the road with you at times.  
  • Parking: All carparks will be closed, with the exception of student residents and those with pre-approved access. 

Key message

The key message at this time is to plan to depart the campus before 5.30 pm where possible.  

Showtime

  • Library: The Library will be open to staff and students with ID.  
  • Early Start Discovery Space, the Pool and Sports Hub: will be closed for the weekend.    
  • Building 17 Computer Labs: will be closed for the weekend.    
  • Other buildings: To limit the risk of unauthorised access to buildings, staff and students will not be able to enter buildings unless Faculty pre-approves access. To apply for special access, complete the online form by 6 October.   
  • Limited weekend in-person classes may be moved to Innovation Campus, check your Moodle site for up-to-date class locations.  
  • Transport: University Ring Road and car parks closed to entering traffic, with the exception of student residents and those with pre-approved access.   
  • For transport to and from the festival, check the Yours and Owls website.  

Key Message

The key message at this time is to avoid campus (unless you are attending the festival, or live on campus).   

Post-Festival

The Y&O team will be packing down festival infrastructure with a priority on areas inside University Ring Road, to safely and efficiently return campus to business as usual. Allow for more time to get around campus (especially around the Sports Hub, ovals 1,2,3, P5, P4 and sciences precinct).  

  • Staff: Ask to work from home on Monday 16 October where possible to minimise disruption to people navigating around pack down, and disruption to carpark access.  
  • Students: Access the campus and buildings as usual, with minor disruption (short pedestrian diversions around some sites). Classes and labs inside University Ring Road and plus B29, will be running as usual and accessible, from 6am. Areas outside University Ring Road such as the Sports Hub, gym and pool will have limited access. Check your Moodle site for up-to-date class locations. Please be mindful of crews and site equipment around the campus during setup. 
  • Public Transport: All bus services will be operating to the campus. Only the North Gong (NG) Shuttle route 9 will be impacted. All scheduled NG Shuttle trips will be route 9N trips, from North Wollongong Station to the Northfields Ave bus interchange. The service will still run as timetabled.  
  • Car travel: The University Ring Road will be open, but there may be delays.  Please be mindful of trucks, forklifts and workers that may be sharing the road with you at times.  
  • Parking: There will be limited parking in some areas as the pack down continues.  
  • P3 Carpark – limited parking available. Levels GA, GB and 1A of the multistory carpark will only be accessible for displaced Reserved Permit holders from other carparks.  
  • P4 Carpooling – limited parking available 7-10 October. The carpark will be closed and no free carpool parking available from 11 October.  
  •  P5 – there will a reduced number of spaces available  
  • Admin Carpark – closed – alternative parking available if required 
  • P7 Carpark – unavailable – alternative parking will be available under Bld 32 for mobility permit holders only 
  • TAFE Carpark – additional parking has been made available at the TAFE for 9-20 October. Access to the TAFE carpark is via Foleys Lane. Turn left from Foleys Lane into the TAFE campus. The carpark is located at the end of the access road past the gatehouse. There will be a UOW parking attendant at the TAFE carpark gate to assist with access. 

Key message

The key message at this time is to plan ahead.