Southbound will go ahead in 2016

After cancelling the 12th annual Southbound event at the start of the year, due to devastating fires in the area and a priority of patron safety, the organisers of the festival are thrilled to announce that they will be back before 2016 is over. Ongoing discussions with the local council and stakeholders have led to the decision to move the event to the new dates of 27th – 29th December, 2016.
 
These dates, during the holiday period between Christmas and New Years will become the new dates of the festival for 2016 and in years to come. The Southbound team are calling out to their loyal supporters to help to rebuild and continue the festival legacy and its future with these new dates.

City of Busselton Mayor Grant Henley said, “Council considered the relative pros and cons and decided that it makes good sense to host Southbound on the same three days in between Christmas and New Year each year.  It will make it easier for the City to plan other events as well as ground maintenance and sporting fixtures on Bovell Oval.  We understand that it also works better for local police in terms of resourcing during the busy summer season.  Having the same dates every year will mean that all parties, including nearby residents, will always know when the Festival is going to be held without having to wait for the official announcement. This enables them to make their own holiday plans well in advance.”

The January cancellation was heartbreaking for the entire team involved who works to put on Southbound, from event staff, the artists, the suppliers and the festival community. 
 
Sunset Events Managing Director and Promoter, Dave Chitty said “The inspiration to change the dates came from the fire. We were determined to deliver the 2016 event if we could and the City of Busselton supporting that means we can deliver that. The change in dates and the impact on how we look at the event as a result of the fire has made us even more determined to deliver an even better Southbound for 2016 and beyond. Our resolve to strengthen the event and look at things differently will result in many changes which we look forward to sharing with Southbound fans as the announcements unfold in the coming months.”

With Yarloop and surrounding areas greatly affected by the fire, the ongoing rebuilding process will be a costly exercise in both time and money.  After raising over $150,000 towards the appeal with the Southbound Benefit Concert held just days after the January cancellation, the festival will continue to undertake fundraising initiatives leading up to the December event, including an opt-in function to donate to the appeal when purchasing tickets.
 
Whilst January 2016 ticketholders received full refunds for their tickets, Southbound will be offering an exclusive presale window to this database to purchase tickets before the general public.
 
Planning for the December festival is well underway with the first artist line up scheduled for release in the winter months.

These new dates are just the start of a series of new initiatives for the festival and there will be heaps of updates and news from Southbound HQ in the coming months. Stay tuned for all the details.