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Contents

   



(Top)
  


1 Ticketing and Resale  




2 History  


2.1  2020  




2.2  2021  




2.3  2022  




2.4  2023  






3 Awards  


3.1  Summary (Bluesfest)  




3.2  Bluesfest Awards  




3.3  Bluesfest nominations  






4 Past lineups  


4.1  2007  




4.2  2008  




4.3  2011  




4.4  2012  




4.5  2013  




4.6  2014  




4.7  2015  




4.8  2016  




4.9  2017  




4.10  2018  




4.11  2019  




4.12  2020  




4.13  2021  




4.14  2022  




4.15  2023  




4.16  2024  






5 See also  




6 References  




7 External links  













Byron Bay Bluesfest







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Coordinates: 28°35′12.67″S 153°32′48.31″E / 28.5868528°S 153.5467528°E / -28.5868528; 153.5467528
  
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  
(Redirected from East Coast Blues & Roots Music Festival)

Byron Bay Bluesfest
2014 festival from above
GenreBlues, roots
Dates6–10 April 2023
Location(s)Byron Bay, New South Wales
Years active1990–2019, 2022–
Founded byKeven Oxford
Organized byPeter Noble
Websitebluesfest.com.au

The Byron Bay Bluesfest, formerly the East Coast International Blues & Roots Music Festival, is an annual Australian music festival that has been held over the Easter long weekend in the Byron Bay, New South Wales, area since 1990. The festival features a large selection of blues and roots performers from Australia and around the world and is one of the world's leading contemporary music festivals.

The festival was founded by Dan Doeppel and Kevin Oxford in 1990 and is run by Peter Noble who joined Oxford for the 1994 event. It has been held at several locations in and around Byron Bay and is currently held at Tyagarah, 11 km (6.8 mi) north of Byron Bay town. Originally running for four days, it now[when?] runs for five days, from Thursday to Monday.

The Boomerang Festival is an event within the festival dedicated to Indigenous Australian performance, art and culture.

Bluesfest 2020 and 2021 were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ticketing and Resale[edit]

Bluesfest has partnered with Moshtix for its ticketing services, ensuring fans have a reliable and secure method to purchase their passes to the festival. Recognizing the need for flexibility and the unpredictable nature of attendees' plans, Bluesfest has also established an official partnership with Tixel.com. Attendees looking to resell their tickets can easily do so by listing their passes on the platform.[1] This partnership reflects Bluesfest's commitment to enhancing attendee experience and combatting the issues associated with ticket scalping and fraud.

History[edit]

The festival began in 1990 at the Arts Factory in Byron Bay as a four-day blues music event over the Easter weekend. It was founded by Dan Doeppel and Kevin Oxford in 1990 and is now run by Peter Noble who joined Oxford for the 1994 event.[citation needed]

Bluesfest director Peter Noble

It has been held at several locations in and around Byron Bay and is currently held at Tyagarah, 11 kilometres drive north of Byron Bay town. It now runs for five days, from Thursday to Monday. From an original crowd of 6,000, it now attracts annual audiences of over 101,000 across the five days. Patrons range from locals to international visitors from a wide age range, including celebrities such as Matt Damon, Jason Momoa and Chris Hemsworth.[2]

In December 2004, Keven Oxford, a director and founder of the event, left the festival and sold his 50% share of the company to a consortium comprising Michael Chugg (managing director of Sydney-based Michael Chugg Entertainment), Daryl Herbert (CEO of Melbourne-based Definitive Events) and Glenn Wheatley (CEO of Melbourne-based Talentworks), who ran the festival with co-founder Peter Noble. Noble bought out the consortium in 2008 and now owns the festival alone.[3] In 2010 Bluesfest moved to its permanent home at the 120-hectare Tyagarah Tea Tree farm.[4]

In 2014, the Boomerang Festival was introduced as part of Bluesfest. This is an event within the festival dedicated to Indigenous Australian performance, art and culture.[5]

2020[edit]

Bluesfest 2020 was the first of 31 Bluesfests to be cancelled, due to event restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic.[6][7]

2021[edit]

The 2021 event, scheduled for 1–5 April,[8] was cancelled one day before it was to commence after a COVID-19 case was detected in Byron Bay. A public health order to shut down the music festival was signed by the Minister for Health Brad Hazzard.[9] As of 17 February the festival was still going ahead as the NSW Government had approved its COVID safety plan. It was to have been about half the size of previous Bluesfests, and be fully seated. Only Australian artists were to play.[10] Evelyn Richardson, of live performance industry body Live Performance Australia, estimated the sudden cancellation had caused an A$10 million loss. Eddie Brook of the Cape Byron Distillery said that Bluesfest was worth A$100 million to the local economy.[11]

Another event was arranged for October 2021, but on 17 August it was cancelled.[citation needed]

2022[edit]

The 2022 Bluesfest took place on 15–19 April.[12] Around 100,000 people attended the festival.[13]

2023[edit]

In November 2022 it was announced that, in addition to the 34th annual Byron Bay Festival being held on 6–10 April 2023, the inaugural Bluesfest Melbourne will take place on 8–9 April.[citation needed][14] Controversy about the line-up erupted after controversial band Sticky Fingers was included in the line-up. This resulted in Melbourne band King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard and rapper Sampa the Great withdrawing from the festival in protest.[15][16] Bluesfest director, Peter Noble, defended the decision to include the band stating that the lead singer of Sticky Fingers had apologised for his past actions and called for the artists to stop living in the past.[17] After weeks of backlash, it was announced that Sticky Fingers would no longer be on the lineup.[16] Around 70,000 people attended the Byron Bay festival.[13]

Awards[edit]

Summary (Bluesfest)[edit]

Bluesfest Awards[edit]

Bluesfest nominations[edit]

Past lineups[edit]

2007[edit]

The line-up for the 2007 festival included:[18]

  • Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals (US)
  • John Mayer (US)
  • Missy Higgins
  • Wolfmother
  • Bela Fleck and the Flecktones (US)
  • Bonnie Raitt (US)
  • Bo Diddley (US)
  • Taj Mahal (US)
  • Tony Joe White (US)
  • The Roots (US)
  • Kasey Chambers
  • John Butler Trio
  • Fat Freddys Drop (NZ)
  • Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars (Sierra Leone)
  • Fishbone (USA)
  • Gomez (UK)
  • Fred Eaglesmith (CAN)
  • Kieran Kane and Kevin Welch with Fats Kaplin (US)
  • Feist (Canada)
  • The Waifs
  • Ben Kweller (US)
  • Flogging Molly (US)
  • Xavier Rudd
  • The NEO
  • Pappa Jam

    • 2008[edit]

    The 2008 festival was held at the 26 acres (110,000 m2) Belongil Fields, the original outdoor venue. The 2008 festival had more food and craft stalls, a covered area where festival goers could eat at tables, a chill-out area, plus an area for an additional, fifth stage.

    Artists in 2008 included Buddy Guy, Eskimo Joe, The John Butler Trio, Gotye, The Beautiful Girls, Newton Faulkner, Seasick Steve, Charlie Musselwhite, Mavis Staples, John P. Hammond, John Hiatt, Ray Davies, Maceo Parker, Loudon Wainwright III, Ozomatli, Ruthie Foster, Jake Shimabukuro, Keith Urban, Amali Ward, Lior, MOFRO, Dan Sultan, Jeff Lang, The Cat Empire, Clare Bowditch, Raul Midon and Xavier Rudd.

    2011[edit]

    The line-up for the 2011 festival included:

  • B. B. King
  • Grace Jones
  • Ben Harper and Relentless7
  • Elvis Costello and the Imposters
  • Leon Russell
  • George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic
  • Jethro Tull
  • ZZ Top
  • John Legend
  • Michael Franti and Spearhead
  • Gurrumul
  • Toots and the Maytals
  • Luciano and Jah Messenjah Band
  • Blind Boys of Alabama featuring Aaron Neville
  • Paul Kelly
  • Buffy Sainte-Marie
  • Warren Haynes and his Allstar Band
  • Rodrigo y Gabriela
  • Fistful of Mercy
  • Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi Band
  • Imogen Heap
  • Ernest Ranglin
  • Robert Randolph and the Family Band
  • The Cat Empire
  • Mavis Staples
  • Kasey Chambers
  • Clare Bowditch
  • Little Feat
  • Indigo Girls
  • Osibisa
  • Tim Finn
  • Raúl Malo
  • Wolfmother
  • Xavier Rudd
  • Funky Meters
  • Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue
  • Irma Thomas
  • Fishbone
  • Los Lobos
  • Trinity Roots
  • Kate Miller-Heidke
  • Michelle Shocked
  • Jeff Lang
  • Saltwater Band
  • Washington
  • Jack Thompson and the Original Sinner
  • Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band
  • Neil Murray
  • Ash Grunwald
  • Eli "Paperboy" Reed
  • C. W. Stoneking
  • Tim Robbins and the Rogues Gallery Band
  • Eric Bibb
  • Ruthie Foster
  • Tony Joe White
  • Joe Louis Walker
  • Frank Yamma
  • The Bamboos
  • The Aggrolites
  • Resin Dogs
  • Yodelice
  • Shane Nicholson
  • Lisa Miller
  • The Dingoes
  • Leah Flanagan
  • Bobby Long
  • Lowrider
  • Dale Watson and His Lone Stars
  • Barrence Whitfield
  • The Blackwater Fever
  • Phil Jones and the Unknown Blues

    • 2012[edit]

    The line-up for the 2012 festival included:

  • John Fogerty performing the songs of Creedence Clearwater Revival
  • Crosby, Stills & Nash
  • Earth, Wind & Fire
  • The Pogues
  • The Specials
  • John Butler Trio
  • My Morning Jacket
  • Yes
  • Buddy Guy
  • Donovan
  • Lucinda Williams
  • Maceo Parker
  • G3 featuring Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and Steve Lukather
  • Ziggy Marley
  • Brian Setzer's Rockabilly Riot!
  • John Hiatt & the Combo
  • Angelique Kidjo
  • Sublime with Rome
  • Zappa Plays Zappa
  • Slightly Stoopid
  • Jonny Lang
  • Seasick Steve
  • Kenny Wayne Shepherd
  • Keb' Mo'
  • Candi Staton
  • Nick Lowe
  • Steve Earle
  • Justin Townes Earle
  • Yann Tiersen
  • Josh Pyke
  • Bettye LaVette
  • Rosie Ledet
  • Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue
  • Weddings Parties Anything
  • Great Big Sea
  • Seth Lakeman
  • Blue King Brown
  • The Fabulous Thunderbirds featuring Kim Wilson
  • David Bromberg Quartet
  • Canned Heat
  • Melbourne Ska Orchestra
  • Alabama 3
  • Dawes
  • Vusi Mahlasela
  • Backsliders
  • Richard Clapton
  • Blitzen Trapper
  • The Audreys
  • Eugene Bridges
  • Ray Beadle
  • James Vincent McMorrow
  • Eilen Jewell
  • 1814
  • Joanne Shaw Taylor
  • Hat Fitz & Cara
  • Harry Manx
  • Tribali
  • Watussi
  • Eagle and the Worm
  • Mick Thomas' Roving Commission
  • Mat McHugh (The Beautiful Girls)
  • The Hands
  • Mama Kin
  • Tijuana Cartel
  • Busby Marou
  • Benjalu
  • Bobby Alu
  • Dan Hannaford
  • Carus Thompson
  • Daniel Champagne
  • Dubmarine
  • Kim Churchill
  • Dallas Frasca
  • Mason Rack Band
  • Lachlan Bryan
  • Marshall O'Kell
  • Claude Hay
  • Ashleigh Mannix
  • Round Mountain Girls
  • Ollie Brown
  • Mojo Bluesman
  • Kooii
  • Harry Healy
  • Blackbirds
  • Mick McHugh
  • Minnie Marks
  • Young Sounds of Byron

    • 2013[edit]

    The line-up for the 2013 festival included:

    2014[edit]

    The line-up for the 2014 festival included:

    2015[edit]

    The line-up for the 2015 festival included:

    2016[edit]

    The line-up for the 2016 festival included:

    2017[edit]

    The line-up for the 2017 festival included:

    2018[edit]

    The line-up for the 2018 festival included:

    2019[edit]

    The line-up for 2019 included:[19]

    2020[edit]

    Bluesfest 2020 was cancelled on 16 March 2020 due to the Public Health COVID-19 Public Events Order 2020.[7]

    The line-up for 2020 was set to include:[20]

    2021[edit]

    Bluesfest 2021 was cancelled on 31 March 2021 by order of the Minister for Health and Medical Research, due to the discovery of a positive COVID-19 case in Byron Bay the previous day.[9]

    The line-up for 2021 was set to include:[22][23]

    Bluesfest 2021 was rescheduled to Friday, 1 October 2021 to Monday, 4 October 2021.[24] The revised line-up for 2021 was set to include:[25]

    On 17 August 2021, Bluesfest 2021 was once again cancelled due to COVID-19, and will not be rescheduled. The majority of the announced lineup has been confirmed for Bluesfest 2022, which took place over its original Easter weekend scheduling.[26]

    2022[edit]

    2023[edit]

    The 2023 Byron Bay Bluesfest ran from the 6th to the 10th of April and the line-up included the following artists.[27]

    2024[edit]

    The 2024 Byron Bay Bluesfest ran from the 28th of March to the 1st of April and the line-up included the following artists.

    See also[edit]

    References[edit]

    1. ^ "FAQs". Byron Bay Bluesfest. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  • ^ "Stars feel the blues this Easter". Couriermail.com.au. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  • ^ "Bluesfest buy-out". DBMagazine (451). 15 October 2008. Archived from the original on 3 December 2008. Retrieved 14 February 2009.
  • ^ "Bluesfest Byron Bay Tickets". Oztix.com.au. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
  • ^ "Boomerang Festival returns to Byron Bay Bluesfest in 2019". Australian Arts Review. 11 February 2019. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
  • ^ Cashmere, Paul (16 March 2020). "Bluesfest 2020 Has Been Cancelled". Noise11.com.
  • ^ a b "Public Health COVID-19 Public Events Order 2020" (PDF). Health.gov.au.
  • ^ Martin, Josh (19 March 2020). "Byron Bay Bluesfest announces 2021 return, confirms new dates". Nme.com. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  • ^ a b Elsworthy, Emma (31 March 2021). "Byron Bay Bluesfest cancelled for second year running after local man tests positive for COVID-19". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 1 April 2021. This action is being taken to minimise the risk of the highly infectious COVID-19 variant of concern being transmitted in the local area, as well as across states and territories. − NSW Health statement
  • ^ Fuamoli, Sose (17 February 2021). "Bluesfest will definitely go ahead for 2021, becoming the first COVID-safe festival of its size". Radio Triple J. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  • ^ Elsworthy, Emma (31 March 2021). "Byron Bay Bluesfest cancellation over COVID case angers music industry and fans". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  • ^ Condon, Dan (17 August 2021). "Bluesfest will not happen in 2021, as festival announces 2022 plans". Double J. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  • ^ a b Galvin, Nick (9 April 2023). "Slimmed-down Bluesfest rocks on despite all the dramas". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  • ^ "Artist Lineup & Play Dates". Bluesfest.com.au. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  • ^ Boulton, Martin (21 February 2023). "Bluesfest director doubles down after Sticky Fingers controversy". The Age. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  • ^ a b Burke, Kelly (2 March 2023). "Bluesfest removes Sticky Fingers from lineup after boycotts and backlash". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  • ^ Watson, Meg; Boulton, Martin (15 February 2023). "'Stop living in the past': Bluesfest director backs adding Sticky Fingers to line-up". The Age. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  • ^ Line-up 2007 bluesfest.com.au. [dead link] Line-up 2007 at the Wayback Machine (archived 15 December 2006)
  • ^ "Byron Bay Blues Festival Playing Schedule". Byron Bay Bluesfest. Archived from the original on 16 February 2019. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
  • ^ "Byron Bay Blues Festival Playing Schedule" (PDF). Bluesfest.com.au. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  • ^ Chryss, Cooper (23 February 2020). "Australian Americana Music Honours 2020". Bluesfest.com.au. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  • ^ "2021 lineup". Bluesfest.com.au. Archived from the original on 31 March 2021. Retrieved 30 May 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  • ^ "Playing schedule". Bluesfest.com.au. Archived from the original on 30 March 2021. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  • ^ "Bluesfest 2021 rescheduled dates!". Bluesfest.com.au. 13 May 2021. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  • ^ "2021 lineup". Bluesfest.com.au. Archived from the original on 31 March 2021. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  • ^ Condon, Dan (17 August 2021). "Bluesfest will not happen in 2021, as festival announces 2022 plans". Abc.bet.au. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  • ^ "Byron Bay Bluesfest contemporary Blues & Roots music festival". Bluesfest.com.au. Retrieved 21 February 2023.

    • External links[edit]

    Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bluesfest Byron Bay.

    28°35′12.67″S 153°32′48.31″E / 28.5868528°S 153.5467528°E / -28.5868528; 153.5467528


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