Rodney Stevens
One of Australia’s longest running and most prestigious music festivals, the iconic Byron Bay Bluesfest will have its final curtain call at the 2025 festival.
Since the first East Coast Annual Blues Festival in 1990, which was headlined by American performers Charlie Musselwhite and Canned Heat at the Byron Bay Arts Factory, Bluesfest has been held every year at Easter in the Byron Bay area, except for 2 years during the Covid pandemic.
Bluesfest locations in the Byron Bay area have shifted from the Arts Factory to Belongil Fields, Red Devil Park and then the Byron Events Farm at Tyagarah over the years, where more than 100,000 people visited annually on a five-day musical pilgrimage.
Over the years Bluesfest has hosted some of the world’s most famous musicians and bands including, Bob Dylan, Tom Jones, BB King, Robert Plant, Santana, Midnight Oil, Kasey Chambers and Crowded House.
But after 35 years of celebrating the very best in Blues and Roots music, and beyond, the nations most awarded music festival that has brought the world’s greatest artists to Australia, plus a whole bunch of our own, will host its last festival on the legendary Byron Events Farm, just outside of Byron Bay, it was announced last week.
Peter Noble OAM, Festival Director and the driving force behind Bluesfest, expressed the significance of this decision on social media.
“To my Dear Bluesfest Family, and after more than 50 years in the music business, Bluesfest has been a labour of love, a celebration of music, community, and the resilient spirit of our fans,” he said.
“But after the 2025 festival, as much as it pains me to say this, it’s time to close this chapter.
“As I said earlier this year at Bluesfest 2024, next year’s festival will be our last.
“To my dear Bluesfest family, I want to make it the most unforgettable experience yet.
“If you’ve been thinking about it, now is your last chance to experience our beloved festival.”
Over the years over Bluesfest it has injected thousands of millions of dollars into the Northern Rivers region’s economy.
When Bluesfest was cancelled in 2021 due to Covid, festival organisers commissioned a study that found the estimated loss for the Northern Rivers region due to the cancellation was almost $98 million, while the Byron Shire alone was estimated to have lost more than $50 million.
Ballina Greens MP Tamara Smith said Bluesfest was encouraged to apply for a Destination NSW grant, but the festival missed out.
“We can’t be talking up tourism in one breath and then in the next breath letting iconic festivals close,” she told media.
“This is vital to our economy, and how much money Bluesfest brings into the state coffers is not insignificant.
“So, on every level, we absolutely need the government to urgently begin conversations with the festival to turn this around.”
Northern Rivers based musician Ash Grunwald said the news didn’t seem real.
“It’s such a massive shock, it’s like a loved one dying or something,” he told media.
“It’s been absolutely integral to me as a blues-influenced player … It was the ultimate festival.”
The first of many artist announcements for the 2025 festival, which promises to feature a lineup worthy of this momentous occasion, will be unveiled this week.