East Coast Blues & Roots Music Festival

The East Coast International Blues & Roots Music Festival is an annual music festival held for five days over the Easter long weekend at Byron Bay, New South Wales, Australia. It features a large selection of blues and roots performers, both international and Australian.

History

The festival began in 1990 as a four day indoor event at The Arts Factory in Byron Bay, drawing a capacity crowd of 6,000 people in its first year.

In 1993 the event moved outdoors to Belongil Fields (1993-1996), Red Devil Park (1997-2007) then back to Belongil Fields in 2008. It has developed into one of the most prominent events on the Australian and international festival calendar.Fact|date=February 2007 After running four stages for some years, it ran five stages in 2008. On most days performances begin around noon and end at midnight. As of 2007, capacity at Red Devil Park was 16,000 attendees each day.

The festival won the Robert Helpmann Award for Best Contemporary Music Festival in Australia for 2004 and 2005. It was a finalist in the US-based Pollstar Concert Industry Awards for two years, placing the festival alongside names like Montreux and Glastonbury.

In December 2004, Keven Oxford, a director and founder of the event, left the festival for other pursuits. Co-founder Peter Noble continues to run the event with new partners, Michael Chugg Entertainment and Glenn Wheatley, who acquired Oxford's shares in the company.

2007 line-up

The line-up for the 2007 festival (5 April to 9 April 2007 at Red Devil Park) included: [http://www.bluesfest.com.au/lineup2007.html]
*Rodriguez
*Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals
*John Mayer
*Missy Higgins
*Wolfmother
*Bela Fleck and the Flecktones
*Bonnie Raitt
*Bo Diddley
*Taj Mahal
*Tony Joe White
*The Roots
*Kasey Chambers
*John Butler Trio
*Fat Freddys Drop
*Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars
*Fishbone
*Gomez
*Fred Eaglesmith
*Kieran Kane & Kevin Welch with Fats Kaplin
*Feist
*The Waifs
*Ben Kweller
*Flogging Molly
*Xavier Rudd
*The NEO
*Pappa Jam

2008 festival

The 2008 festival was held at Belongil Fields, the original outdoor venue. Belongil Fields is on 26 acres with limited camping and ample parking adjacent. 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, The Beautiful Girls, Newton Faulkner, Charlie Musselwhite, Mavis Staples, John P. Hammond, John Hiatt, Ray Davies, Maceo Parker, Loudon Wainwright III, MOFRO, Ruthie Foster, Jake Shimabukuro and Xavier Rudd.

Future

The organisers hope to move the festival in 2009 to a new permanent home at Tyagarah, about 15 minutes drive north of Byron Bay, although strong local opposition based on the sheer size and scale of such an event being held in the middle of a wildlife corridor and on flood prone land may see this hope dashed.

See also

* West Coast Blues & Roots Festival

References

*East Coast Blues & Roots Music Festival (December 1, 2004). "Bluesfest Change Of Ownership".

External links

* [http://www.bluesfest.com.au/ East Coast Blues & Roots Music Festival]
* [http://www.tyagarah.org/ News from local residents on the new festival site]