This time last year KB was locked down at his home in Frankston, in Melbourne's south-east. Now he's partying without a mask alongside 14,000 other festival-goers at Bass in The Grass in the Top End.
"It's great to see a big crowd of people all together with no masks," he said.
"Beer was getting thrown everywhere, it was a lot of fun, wasn't it?
"This is the first one in ages, the first festival in a long time - it's great."
Organisers say 8,000 people travelled from interstate to attend the festival on Darwin's iconic Mindil Beach.
It is the largest number of interstate attendees ever to make the trip north for the annual day festival, which hosted popular Australian acts like Missy Higgins, Ocean Alley, Peking Duk and Violent Soho.
'Darwin is bloody beautiful'
Nearly all punters agree: it was hard to believe festivals were back in the middle of a global pandemic.
Olivia, 23, travelled with two friends from Sydney for the festival.
"I actually feel like I'm dreaming," she said.
Bridget Crowe, who hails from Bairnsdale, in regional Victoria, also flew up for Bass in the Grass.
"It's so good to come here and enjoy live music," she said.
"It does feel a bit weird but I'm just so excited, I'm so keen.
"[Darwin] is bloody beautiful."
Harm reduction measures to keep festival-deprived crowds safe
For the first time, Victorian and NSW-based harm reduction group Dancewize had a presence at the festival, with a role in educating attendees about drug use and supporting people who needed to take a "time out".
Dancewize coordinator Steph Tzanetis said it was great to see the organiser, NT Major Events, embrace the program, especially in a year where many people have not had the chance to go to festivals for a while.
"We offer credible, but non-judgmental education about drugs, so people can reduce their risks, know their risks, rather than just be told, don't do it, and feel scared," she said.
"Some people might just need a little bit of time out of the sun, other people might need to talk with someone.
"If you've tried something for the first time and you're feeling a bit anxious about it, you can come to us.
"You'll probably be screened by medical to make sure you don't need any kind of medical intervention, and if you're still feeling a bit anxious, you can hang out with us."
Dancewize also had sexual assault counsellors on site, ready to help anyone who may have experienced gender-based violence at the festival, and who helped to train security and other event staff ahead of time.
Biggest Bass ever
Bass in the Grass has been running since 2003 but was cancelled last year due to COVID-19.
It has gone through a significant expansion in recent years, with crowd numbers doubling in size since 2018.
Scheduled to align with the beginning of the dry season, the period of Darwin's nicest weather, it is one of several events that has contributed to accommodation being currently booked out in the Top End.
Festival organisers said there had been no major critical incidents at the time of publication, but police and NT Major Events are expected to provide a further update today.