Groovin The Moo returns to Maitland after three years, with Peking Duk, Hilltop Hoods and Lime Cordiale

About 16,000 people attended the music festival at Maitland Showground on Saturday.

Promoter Steve Halpin said it was "a bit muddy, but people were super happy to be back into it".

He said the vibe was interesting, as "everyone was a little bit tentative to start with".

"Everyone is still a bit wary of COVID. But once they got into the bands, the muscle memory must have kicked back in. It got pretty rowdy, but in a good way."

The bands were excited to play in front of a crowd. Peking Duk, Hilltop Hoods and Lime Cordiale were among the artists on show.

"So many of the bands said it was the first gig they'd played in a couple of years," Mr Halpin said.

"Usually there's a party vibe happening backstage, but everyone turned up, got to their dressing room, played and then left.

"Everyone was being super cautious still, as we had two shows to go [in Canberra and Bendigo].

"It's the first step to getting back to normal."

Groovin The Moo usually puts on six festivals, including Townsville, Bunbury [WA] and Adelaide.

"But this year there was so much uncertainty, dealing with state borders and that sort of stuff," Mr Halpin said.

"We thought we'd just do these three shows to start with and go back to the full tour next year."

The festival has been running since 2006.

"We were all set to go for 2020, but we were cancelled. COVID hit six weeks out from our show," he said.

"We haven't done a show for three years, so it's great to be back."

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