Festivals Update

FULL MOON DOWN UNDER SCRAPPED

The famous Full Moon Down Under parties on Magnetic Island, in northern Queensland, have been scrapped after ten years. Organisers blame the state’s new liquor licensing regulations.

Affecting the events, which could draw 5000 a time with major acts,werethe reduction ofthe number of permits a licensed premise could apply for to extend trading hours for special events. The 5amtrading was also wound back to 2am.

The new rules also called for a “special event” to be defined as where a third party had to be involved.

The events will still have live music, but will focus more on leisurely getaways over entire weekends.

DARK MOFO’S FEAST EXPANDS AS CROWDS SET TO RISE

This year’s Tasmanian mid-winter festival Dark Mofo is set to top its attendance last year of 280,000. Due to a financial injection in 2016 of $10 million over five years by the State Government, organisers are committed to increase the number of interstate and overseas visitors to 20,000 by 2021 and reach a total attendance of 500,000 by that year.

In 2017, a P&O Dark Mofo cruise from Sydney will bring an extra 2000.

As a result, plans are put into place to enlarge one of its biggest attractions Winter Feast, where a full capacity 10,000 arrive each night to the Hobart waterfront for culinary delights. It will run for seven days, from June 9-11 and then again from June 15-18.

HILLS ARE ALIVE SELLS OUT

This weekend’s The Hills Are Alive has sold out for a 9th year. The three-day (two-night) ‘Friends of Friends’ festival takes place 90 mins from Melbourne, in the picturesque rolling hills of South Gippsland.

Acts include Cloud Control, Dope Lemon, REMI, Northeast Party House and Amy Shark.

NT’S BARUNGA ANNOUNCES ACTS

Celebrating 33 years as a destination for indigenous music, sports and culture, the Barunga draws 4000 people to the Northern Territory showcasing the Katherine region.

Barunga holds a special place in the nation’s history as the birthplace of Bob Hawke’s Barunga Statement which called for a Treaty with Indigenous people which was the inspiration for Yothu Yindi’s iconic anthem. 65% of attendees are Indigenous.

This year, June 9—11, the live acts are Missy Higgins (returning for a second year), Bunna Laurie, Skinnyfish Sound System, Coloured Stone celebrating their 40th anniversary and Justine Clarke who will be performing with students from the Barunga School.

“I had such an amazing experience at Barunga Festival when I attended a few years ago,” said Missy Higgins. “I loved being immersed in the local culture and getting to see some really awesome bands from surrounding communities. I’m super excited to go back.”

FESTIVAL AT FORMER PENTRIDGE SITE

The Piazza at Pentridge is a free music and arts festival held Saturday April 8and Sunday April 9 at old Melbourne’s Pentridge Prison, which closed in 1997.

The event will feature music from Big Words, DJ collective Cumbia Massive, hip hop act Billy Davis and alt-Latin band Funkalleros. There are also tours of the site’s dark past.

INAUGURAL YIRRAMBOI FOR MELBOURNE

The City of Melbourne is presenting the inaugural Yirramboi First Nations Arts Festival May 5—14. It has assembled 60 diverse events to celebrate a 60,000-year-old culture, including dance, music, visual art, theatre, film and talks in Melbourne’s laneways, public spaces and venues.

The ground-breaking festival will bring together local and international First Nation visionaries from New Zealand, Canada, United States of America, Scotland, Pacific Islands, Wales and Taiwan, to gather in Melbourne.

Remember Ruby is a series of concerts and exhibitions honouring Aunty Ruby Hunter, between May 5—14 at Arts Centre Melbourne.

Ngarrga Bullarto Mirnian (Full Moon Party) on Thursday May 11 May at Federation Square is an electronica dance party under the full moon featuring Kulin star stories told by Uncle Larry Walsh.

FALLS, SPLENDOUR SITE APPLIES FOR EXTENSION

With its five-year trial period coming to an end this year, North Byron Parklands – home of Falls Byron and Splendour In The Grass – has applied to the Dept of Planning and Environment (DP&E) to extend by 20 months to 31 August2019.

Parklands GM Mat Morris says that “Under the current trial approval Falls Festival Byron 17/18 cannot operate” as acts have to be booked.

Same goes for Splendour 2018 as international artists are being negotiated, with talks for artists to begin at the end of this year for the 2019 instalment.

While the extension does not seem to be a problem, Parklands is also applying to make the site a permanent one for its festivals. It has suggested that Splendour’s capacity be expanded to 35,000 to 50,000.

But this has aroused opposition from local police. According to Echonetdaily, Tweed Byron local area command (LAC) Brendan Cullen, has written to the Dept saying this would stretch the resources of the force to provide safety.

He also said other factors as on site access, on stage lighting and trafficmanagement would be too difficult to manage. There was also “no possibility of evacuating North Byron Parklands within eight hours at current capacity levels.”

HOUSEFOX BACK FOR SECOND YEAR

After a successful debut last year, Housefox returns to Sydney’s Northern Beaches. It is held on Saturday April 22 @ Narrabeen RSL with headliners Psycroptic and Toe To Toe among the first acts announced.

Housefox Fest is a locally run, grassroots, rock, punk and heavy metal event run by Housefox Recording Studios and Sydney’s grindcore Black Rheno.

RAIN AFFECTS NSW FESTIVALS

Due to heavy rain last weekend, the Kiama stop of The Red Hot Summer Tour was rescheduled to Sunday April 9.

Warriewood’s Party In The Park was cancelled altogether and will return in 2018.

GOOD NIGHT CURATES FOR BUNBURY SHOW

This year’s LiveLighter Bunbury Show (April 8) has teamed with Good Night’s owner Kelsie Miller to curate an event of WA South West acts for the first time.

These include Tom West (Margaret River), Tori-Rae (Bunbury), Brayden Sibbald (Dunsborough) and Tracey Barnett (Bridgetown).

MORE ACTS FOR BOOGIE 11

With a month to go, Boogie 11 in regional Victoria has added more acts “and all the DJ action one rusted-out truck and a Hillbilly Stage can handle.”

Among those now heading to Bruzzy’s Farm in Tallarook (April 14—16) are the USA’s Dan Baird & Homemade Sin, Oh Pep!, Drug Sweat, Jarrow, Baby Blue (who actually decided to form while at Boogie 9), and a host of DJs as Rainbow, Mermaid, Manchild, Rainbow Trout, Ginger Light, Andee Frost, James ‘The Hound Dog’ Young, !Breech Boy! and Larry Kronick Jr.

COMMUNITY WORK SERVED AT WOMAD NZ

Radio New Zealand reported that WOMAD NZ offered 115 low-level offenders the opportunity work off community-based sentences. Under theguidance of their supervisors and event management, they unloaded containers, set up fencing, staging, glamping tents and recycling stations at Bowl of Brooklands in Taranaki.

LINEUP ROLLS IN TO SEA N SOUND

Among those announced for the second Sea N Sound at the Wharf Tavern are Boy & Bear, Busby Marou and Timberwolf.

The event offers live music with coastal lifestyle (the tavern is the Mooloolaba River and opposite Mooloolaba Beach) and local seafood and craft beer. Last year 2000 attended, with 3000 expected with its upgrade tp a larger venue.

DUNEDIN FRINGE EXPECTING 10,000

The current Dunedin Fringe in New Zealand’s South Island is expecting a crowd of 10,000, offering twice the number of acts it had two years ago. One of the items, an endurance dance piece Composure, lasts 10 hours. And you thought Bruce and the E-Streeters were bum-numbing.