‘It's a clarion call': Bluesfest boss delivers update on festival's future
Byron Bay Bluesfest will return after all, bucking a global industry trend and despite its director's claim that the 2025 edition was its last.
More than 40 music festivals across Australia have been cancelled since 2022 after the COVID-19 pandemic decimated the live music sector.
Bluesfest appeared set to join the list when it announced its artist line-up in August, with bombastic festival director Peter Noble declaring the 2025 event would be the 'last ever'.
That announcement proved marketing gold, with 97 per cent of tickets snapped up – and Saturday entry sold out – before gates opened on Thursday afternoon.
'We've had the highest attendance of any Australian festival since pre-COVID at 109,000 attendances – the third-biggest event we've done in the history of the festival ... festivals are back,' Noble said in a statement on Tuesday.
'Bluesfest fans have kept this dream alive. It's a clarion call for me. People want this event. People want it to continue.'
Bluesfest is among festivals to benefit from the NSW government's $2.25 million contemporary music festival viability fund.
'The festival circuit is a vital part of the live music industry which employs almost 15,000 people,' Arts Minister John Graham said on Sunday.
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