Midnight Oil to headline Bluesfest’s rescheduled festival in October

May 19, 2021

Bluesfest has today announced their festival has been rescheduled for the October long weekend (Friday 1^st to Monday 4^th October) with Midnight Oil headlining opening night alongside weekend performances including those from Paul Kelly, Tash Sultana and Jimmy Barnes.

The rescheduling follows a NSW Government directive to shut down Bluesfest 2021 in April - less than 24 hours before their gates were due to open, due to one local case of COVID transmission.

The festival will be returning in October with a multi-day, multi-stage, camping event and almost all the artists due to play at Easter returning to play.

Festival Director, Peter Noble today announced “This October, Bluesfest will be the first major festival to return, since COVID-19 struck.

“I am thrilled to announce that Midnight Oil have agreed to join our All-Aussie line-up and headline our opening night – Friday 1^st October and that Paul Kelly will co-headline Saturday 2^nd October, alongside Tash Sultana.

“This is so special for me to announce – a moment I have been waiting years to happen. Midnight Oil headlined Bluesfest in 2002, just before their extended hiatus. It has always been my ambition to once again present the ‘holy grail of Australian artists’ at Bluesfest and have approached them every year, redoubling my efforts since their reformation in 2017. And now, to have Midnight Oil headline our opening night and launch their new album – it’s a dream come true.”

Noble added “There is so much to look forward to in October:

“Midnight Oil have announced that they will be following up last October’s collaborative album, ‘The Makarrata Project’, by launching their first Midnight Oil studio album in nearly 20 years around Bluesfest time…. and will be featuring these new songs plus a greatest hits set.

“Paul Kelly – ARIA Hall of Famer and National Treasure, Paul returns to co-headline Bluesfest for the 8th time. It’s a certainty that Paul, as always, will bring his full band and deliver a unique live set for our Bluesfest audience.

“Tash Sultana will be showcasing their latest album ’Terra Firma’, which gave them their debut #1 on the ARIA album charts and has already spawned five singles. Tash, who has never failed to deliver a next-level performance, will be bringing their exciting new band to Bluesfest for the first time.

“Jimmy Barnes will ‘Barnestorm’ Bluesfest with an explosive set jam-packed with songs from his new album, ‘Flesh and Blood’ and his classic hits.

“All the headliners will perform their full shows of between 90 and 120 minutes. These, plus so many other great artists, are headlining our October Long Weekend Bluesfest.

“We have shown a determination to overcome everything we had to face to re-schedule, knowing that as an integral part of the Australian music industry, so many were counting on us. As we rise from the ashes of Bluesfest, Easter 2021, please come join us as we celebrate our indomitable determination to present live music in Australia safely, at a major event level.

“We look forward to change coming for major events. It is clear that without a major music events insurance scheme, many many events will choose not to launch. This is the time that major events need investment from government; more than we have ever received.

“Our most recent completed event’s (2019) Economic Impact Report shows that we create 858 full-time equivalent jobs in our region and 1,333 in our state of NSW, but on top of this, the money that we generate regionally ($163 million) and through our state ($277 million) underlines the true value of major music events.

“Bluesfest was recently named as a finalist in the Pollstar Awards nominations for ‘music festival of the decade’, making us one of the Top Ten Festivals globally, alongside Glastonbury Festival, Coachella, Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival, Lollapalooza USA & Brazil, Austin City Limits and others. What an honour it is to be the only Australian festival, event or venue to be nominated for this award, celebrating 'the most artistically and commercially successful festival of the last decade providing the most rewarding experience for fans and artists”.

ECONOMIC IMPACT REPORT 2019

ECONOMIC IMPACT REPORT 2020

Season tickets on sale 09:00AM Thursday 20th may via Moshtix.

3 Day and 1 Day tickets plus camping and VIP on sale soon.

21st April 2021 - Bluesfest named finalist for ‘Music Festival of the Decade’ by Pollstar

2nd April 2021 - Bluesfest cancellation to cost more than $10 million in losses

2nd April 2021 - Save Victorian Events highlight Bluesfest cancellation as confirmation of need for Governments to back event cancellation insurance

1st April 2021 - LPA calls for emergency Business Interruption Fund after government directive shuts down Bluesfest

31st March 2021 - COVID-19 case sees NSW Health cancel Byron Bay Bluesfest

11th March 2021 - Bluesfest team share their excitement for the return of live music

18th February 2021 - COVID-19 Safety Plan approved for 2021 Bluesfest

21st October 2020 - Bluesfest 2021 adds to its line-up to appeal to broader audience

27th July 2020 - Bluesfest highlights losses incurred due to festival cancellation in 2020

12th July 2019 - Byron Bay Bluesfest names Moshtix as exclusive ticketing partner

12th February 2019 - NSW Government stance on festivals sees Byron Bay Bluesfest Director threaten to move event

16th July 2018 - Pollstar acknowledges Bluesfest as Australia’s top music festival

16th May 2018 - Bluesfest’s 30 year journey to be shared at 2018 Asia-Pacific Venue Industry Congress

30th October 2017 - Steve Romer to join Bluesfest as Chief Operating Officer

21st April 2014 - Byron Bay Bluesfest celebrates 25th anniversary

8th October 2010 - Byron Bay Bluesfest named Australia’s top event

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