Festivals Update: December 15

CARL COX BECOMES PARTNER IN BABYLON

Techno legend Carl Cox, recently crowned King of Dance 2016 by Mixmag, has become an official partner of the new Aussie EDM Babylon. It was set up by Richie McNeill, to stage in Victoria and NSW in March as a three-day camping event with 100 acts.

Cox said, “I travel to and play at Burning Man regularly, and many other destination festivals of this kind, so I am proud to be a part of Babylon and I am looking forward to playing an extended set in the spirit of an outdoor journey like this.”

MORE DOWN THE LANEWAY

Following on from the additions of D.D. Dumbo and Young Thug following the cancellation by The Julie Ruin, Laneway announced Genesis Owusu (NSW), IV League (Vic), Lonelyspeck (SA), Dream Rimmy (WA), and Confidence Man (Qld).

JAMAICAN ACT HEADLINING SKA, REGGAE & ROCKSTEADY

After a successful debut this year, The Newport Ska Reggae & Rocksteady returns for a second time to the Melbourne western suburb. It’s staged at the Substation on Sunday March 19 with Jamaica rocksteady duo Stop That Train.

Festival Co-Director Mike Weir said, “We knew we were doing something right when after one year we had international acts approaching us to be on the bill for the next one. We really get a kick out of putting on the event.”

DAYS LIKE THIS REVEALS LINEUP

New EDM festival Days Like This (Royal Randwick Racecourse, Sydney, on Saturday March 11) unveiled its bill. International name Dixon headlines with a big German contingent (Ben Klock, Recondite, Dominik Eulberg, Gerd Janson) and live sets from ABRA, Fatima Yamaha, Gold Panda, Henrik Schwarz, Kiasmos, Nathan Fake, Octave One Recondite, Stimming and Toro Y Moi.

PLEASURE GARDEN TO RETURN IN 2017

After the success of the inaugural Pleasure Garden in Melbourne which lived up to promises to provide new experiences, promoters have confirmed it will return next year. “This was the sort of event that you might stumble across in Europe where it’s not just about music, but the whole experience,” they say.

Incredible stage builds and art installations, roving theatrical performers, dodgem cars, a rollerskating rink, day beds to lounge out on and a massive food option blended with urban sets from OKA, Mortisville, Dub Pistols Sound System, Spoonbill and Dub FX, with Ngaiire, Blue King Brown and Tash Sultana, Liverpool’s The Correspondents lucky enough to get the sunset timeslot and The Cat Empire and The Opiuo Band leading the charge into the night.

WOOF! WOOF! SUGAR MOUNTAIN ADDS DOG SHOW

Sugar Mountain has a new spin-off event, the inaugural Sugar Mountain x Visions Dog Show. It takes place the evening before the festival at the Queen Victoria Gardens, just across the road from the main festival site at the Victorian College of the Arts.

Doggies can enter competitions, including Waggiest Tail, Best Trick, Best In Show, RuPaw’s Drag Race for dogs in drag as well as Fancy Dress in either Bowie, Kylie, Prince or Warhol style. The $10 entry goes to Guide Dogs Victoria.

LISMORE GETS BOUTIQUE EVENT

The inaugural Lismore Music is staged March 10 to 11, with up to 50 national and local acts to play over a number of venues. Co-directors and Lismore locals Scott Cooper and Paul Connelly said the acts will cover a number of music genres. Tickets are capped to 1000. The full list of venues will be unveiled in the next few weeks.

WHITE NIGHT LIGHTING UP BALLARAT

With the dusk-to-dawn White Night Melbourne pulling crowds of up to 600,000, the Victorian Government has followed through plans to expand it to Ballarat. Minister for Tourism and Major Events John Eren and White Night Artistic Director David Atkins OAM launched the 2017 program this week.

March 4 sees Ballarat return to its gold rush era with Nights of Gold by The Electric Canvas lighting up some of its most picturesque and historic buildings. The music component is announced in January.

Funding for the event will come from the Government’s $20 million Regional Events Fund. White Night is Australia’s contribution to the global phenomenon, Nuit Blanche. Victoria is the only Australian state to offer the all-night event, joining 23 cities worldwide including Paris and Sao Paulo.

HOW COSMOPOLITA CAN NATIONAL FOLK GET?

The menu for the first 33 acts announced for the 51st National Folk in Canberra (April 13—17) is certainly a musical smorgasbord. It ranges from Afro-soul to Greek blues to Swedish dancehall to a mash-up of Appalachia and Medieval Europe. Additionally, Australian acts offer Celtic, gypsy and klezmer infused music and indie folk rock.

PERTH FRINGE GOES FOR 50% LOCALS

Next year’s Perth Fringe (January 20-February 19) will have at least 50% of its acts home grown, marked with a yellow flag in the official Fringe World 2017 guide out this week. See its website for the acts. Venues range from its flagship Perth Cultural Centre to a new hub at the Cathedral Square precinct to a wooden boat salvaged from the bottom of the Swan River

Leederville is this year joining metro areas Fremantle, Mt Lawley, Scarborough and Victoria Park after displaying strong community activity this year. But this year Midlandia is off the schedule.

NEW ORGANISER FOR COOLY ROCKS ON

Connecting Southern Gold Coast has taken over the running of the retro Cooly Rocks in Coolangatta, which last year brought $6 million to the region. The festival has churned in financially turbulent waters. So the 2017 version will be slashed from ten days to five days (June 7 to 11), to minimal night time entertainment. The idea is to intensify the time, which Connecting Southern Gold Coast estimates will bring an extra 30,000 people in.

The Gold Coast City Council has voted to provide $62,000 worth of support to the festival.

COASTELLA’S EARLY BIRD SELLS OUT

500 early bird tix of the 2000 on sale for New Zealand’s Coastella Music have sold out before its February 24 date. Festival Director Gerry Paul says “We’re really delighted with the strong response and support we’ve had from audiences so far and expect this second year of the festival to reach a whole new level in terms of numbers, putting Coastella on the map as one of the summer music festivals not to be missed.”

FUNDING FOR SALTWATER FRESHWATER

The NSW Aboriginal Land Council (NSWALC) has put aside $25,000 for Saltwater Freshwater’s January 26 return to Coffs Harbour’s North Coast Regional Botanic Garden.

The largest Aboriginal cultural event on the Mid North Coast, and he only free festival of its kind in New South Wales, it drew 15,000 people last time.