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Bluesfest Byron Bay
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Years active
1990-present
Location
Byron Bay, Australia
Dates
13 Apr – 17 Apr 2017
Genres
Blues, Americana
Similar
Splendour in the Grass, Falls Festival, Ottawa Bluesfest, West Coast Blues ‘n’ Roots Fe, Groovin the Moo
The Byron Bay Bluesfest, formerly the East Coast International Blues & Roots Music Festival, is an annual music festival that has been held over the Easter long weekend in the Byron Bay area in Australia since 1990. It 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.
It was founded by Keven Oxford in 1990 and is now 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 kilometres drive north of Byron Bay town. Originally running for three days, 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.
History
The festival was staged for the first time in 1990 at the Arts Factory Lodge in Byron Bay as a five-day blues music event over the Easter weekend. 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. In 2010 Bluesfest moved to its permanent home at the 120-hectare Tyagarah Tea Tree farm.
Awards
AWARDS SUMMARY – BLUESFEST
7 WINS at the NSW Tourism Awards for Major Festivals & Events (4 Gold, 3 Silver)
6 WINS at the North Coast Tourism Awards for Major Festivals & Events
4 WINS at the Helpmann Awards for Best Contemporary Music Festival, Ceremony for Australia's most talented and celebrated performers and industry
5 WINS at the Australian Event Awards for Australian Event of the Year
7 NOMINATIONS at the Pollstar Awards (USA) for International Festival of the Year (5 in a row from 2012- incl 2016)
BLUESFEST AWARDS
2016 Gold Major Festival & Events, NSW Tourism Awards
2016 Best Regional Event, Australian Event Awards
2016 Gold Major Festivals & Events, North Coast Tourism Awards
2016 Order of Australia Medal (OAM), Won by Festival Director, Peter Noble ‘For service to live and recorded music, to tourism, and to the community.’
2015 Gold Major Festivals & Events, NSW Tourism Awards
2015 Gold Major Festivals & Events, North Coast Tourism Awards
2015 Pan Australasian Festival Of The Year, Canadian Music Week International Festival Awards
2014 Best Contemporary Music Festival, Australian Helpmann Awards
2014 Best Cultural, Arts or Music Event, Australian Event Award
2014 Gold Major Festival & Event, North Coast Tourism Awards
2014 'The Rolling Stone Award' Won by Festival Director, Peter Noble
2014 Silver Major Festivals & Events, NSW Tourism Awards
2013 Silver Best Cultural, Arts or Music Event Australian Event Awards
2013 Gold Major Festivals & Events, NSW Tourism Awards
2013 Gold Major Festivals & Events, North Coast Tourism Awards
2013 Best Regional Event, Australian Event Awards
2013 Best Contemporary Music Festival Australian Helpmann Awards
2013 Business Excellence Award, North Coast Tourism Awards
2012/13 The International A Greener Festival Award
2012 Silver Major Festival & Events, NSW Tourism Awards
2012 Business Excellence Award, North Coast Tourism Awards
2011 The International A Greener Festival Award
2011 Gold Major Festivals & Events, NSW Tourism Awards
2011 Business Excellence Award, North Coast Tourism Awards
2010 Australian Event of the Year, Australian Event Awards
2010 The International A Greener Festival Award
2009 The International A Greener Festival Award
2008 Grammy Award, ‘Best Zydeco Or Cajun Music Album’, Terrance Simien & The Zydeco Experience (AIM Records artist)
2008 The International A Greener Festival Award
2007 The International A Greener Festival Award
2006 Best Contemporary Music Festival, Australian Helpmann Awards
2005 Best Contemporary Music Festival, Australian Helpmann Awards
2016 International Music Festival of the Year, 28th Pollstar Awards (2017)
2016 Best Contemporary Music Festival, Australian Helpmann Awards
2015 International Music Festival of the Year, 27th Pollstar Awards (2016)
2015 Best Contemporary Music Festival Australian Helpmann Awards
2014 Major Festivals & Events, NSW Tourism Awards
2014 Best Cultural, Arts or Music Event, Australian Event Awards
2014 Best Tourism Event, Australian Event Awards
2014 Best Regional Event, Australian Event Awards
2014 Best New Event for Boomerang Festival, Australian Event Awards
2013 International Festival of the Year 25th Pollstar Awards (2014)
2013 Best Tourism Event, Australian Event Awards
2012 International Festival of the Year 24th Pollstar Awards (2013)
2012 Best Cultural/Arts Event, Australian Event Awards
2012 Best Contemporary Music Festival, Robert Helpmann Awards
2011 Best Regional Event, Australian Event Awards
2011 Best Achievement in Sustainability, Australian Event Awards
2009 Best Cultural or Arts Event, Australian Event Awards
2009 Best Overseas Festival, UK Festival Awards
2008 Grammy Award, ‘Best Tropical Latin Album’, Greetings From Havana - Cubanismo (AIM Records artist)
2008 Best Contemporary Music Festival, Australian Helpmann Awards
2007 International Music Festival of the Year from the esteemed US based Pollstar Concert Industry Awards
Line-up 2007
The line-up for the 2007 festival included:
Line-up 2008
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.
