FESTIVALS UPDATE

Photo: Marissa Taschke Creative (via Big Pineapple Music Festival on Facebook)

BIG PINEAPPLE MUSIC SELLS OUT

The fifth instalment of the Sunshine Coast’s all-Australian Big Pineapple Music Festival (May 27) has sold out its 13,500 tickets, seven weeks out, organisers reported.

Festival organiser Mark Pico said “We have been completely blown away by the interest in Big Pineapple Music Festival this year. Last year we sold out on the week of the show, so to sell out seven weeks earlier this year is just incredible.”

DARK MOFO HITS RECORD SALES

Tasmanian winter solstice arts and music festival Dark Mofo has broken all sales records after tickets went on sale on Wednesday. According to the Hobart Mercury, $1 million worth of sales were clocked up in the first day.

First day sales broke last year’s record, and half of the festival’s overall box office target was reached by early afternoon. This was despite the festival website going through a meltdown when 4500 people were simultaneously online.

“The growth in demand is phenomenal,” Creative Director Leigh Carmichael said. “This is an incredibly exciting time to be in Tasmania, and the support for cultural events is unprecedented.”

The shows that sold out, the Mercury pointed out, were the two-night Red Bull Music Academy’s Transliminal dance party, Norwegian metal band Ulver’s collaboration with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Xiu Xiu’s Twin Peaks soundtrack performance and the multi-venue art party Welcome Stranger.

In 2016, the festival drew 280,000 people, injecting an estimated $46 million to the state’s economy, and created 400 full time and short-contract jobs.

PARTY IN THE PADDOCK ANNOUNCES 2018 DATES

Tasmania’s Party in the Paddock announced that the 2018 event, its sixth, is confirmed for Friday 9 & Saturday 10 February. Organisers said, “2017 was our most epic year yet!”

UPDATE FROM DASHVILLE EVENTS

An update from Dashville Events revealed that July’s Pigsty is taking a break this year but will return in 2018.

But its flagship Dashville Skyline – a “celebration of alt-country, folk, Americana and psychedelia” – is locked in for a third year between September 29 to October 1, 2017 at Dashville in NSW’s Hunter Valley. 30 acts will play.

Its third festival, next week’s Gum Ball, has unveiled its full program. These include Canadian DJs The Funk Hunters headlining on the Friday (April 21) and Regurgitator and The Peep Tempel doing the honours on the Saturday.

TWO FROM DRAGON DREAMING FACE COURT

Two attendees of last October’s Dragon Dreaming have faced Yass Local Court for driving a vehicle with illicit drugs in their blood.

A 24-year-old woman from Perisher Valley was fined $800 and disqualified from driving for six months.

A 28-year-old woman from Newcastle East was fined $450 and disqualified from driving for three months.

NOOSA COME TOGETHER BACK FOR SECONDS

After a successful bow last year, Noosa Come Together returns on June 10-11 at the Noosaville Pirate Park in Noosaville.

Featuring local musicians and sporting teams, it raises funds for local sporting programs designed for people with disabilities who are living and holidaying on the Sunshine Coast.

Last year it raised $10,720 for the Noosa Yacht and Rowing Club’s Sailability program which provides people with a disability the chance to learn and participate in sailing.

Organiser Oz Bayldon said that this year proceeds will go to Sailability, the Riding for the Disabled program and the Disabled Surfers’ Association.

REGISTRATIONS OPEN FOR UMBRELLA WINTER CITY SOUNDS…

Registrations have opened for Adelaide’s second Umbrella: Winter City Sounds July 14-30. It is an initiative by Music SA to support events, venues, promoters and musicians within the CBD. As part of the Vibrant City Agenda and funded by the SA Government to help live music venues and acts, it aims to activate the city streets during the winter months and keep live music events running all year around.

Last year the event included 260 live music events across 60 venues. These included laneways, a punk party on top of a car park and electronic music in Cinema Place.

Emerging, entrepreneurial-type music event managers are given between $1000 to $5000 to come up with creative ideas about live music which will prove to be a tourism draw.

For $25 per event, all event holders and artists are included in its printed guide and online gig listings. Music SA will provide marketing material. Closing date is May 19 at http://umbrellaadelaide.com.au/.

This year’s events include the AIR Awards at the Queens Theatre and its inaugural Music Conference.

Six city venues will be activated as official afterparties for the AIR Awards. AIR will program profile artists to perform at these venues and also work with Music SA to engage Umbrella performers, providing opportunities for local artists to showcase in front of interstate industry representatives (700 came from around the country to attend the awards in Melbourne in 2015).

The Adelaide Festival Centre will again present its Guitars in Bars program of live music.

The festival is supported by the SA Government’s new Live Music Events Fund, which provides $1.35m over three years to support new festivals and events, which have the potential to grow into major tourist attractions and to increase employment through cultural activation.

The fund is administered by Events South Australia (via the South Australian Tourism Commission) and the Music Development Office (via Arts South Australia).