Bendigo Blues and Roots Music Festival

Last updated

Bendigo Blues and Roots Music Festival
Bendigo Blues and Roots Music Festival.jpg
GenreBlues and roots
DatesNovember
Location(s) Bendigo, Victoria, Australia
Years active2011 – 2019, 2022
Website bendigobluesandroots.com.au

The Bendigo Blues and Roots Music Festival (otherwise known as Bendigo Blues & Roots or BBRMF) was a four-day music festival held in November each year in the central Victorian city of Bendigo. The not-for-profit event was first held in 2011 and features performances and workshops at various venues and locations throughout Bendigo.

Contents

History

The first year of the festival (2011) was held over three days in November (25–27) and included over 58 different artists, with a free concert held in Rosalind Park headlining the festival.

In 2012 the free festival headline concert changed location moving to the Bendigo Civic Gardens, and this time the festival included the addition of "The Blues Tram", featuring performances aboard some of the vintage trams which are still operating in Bendigo. The festival was held over four days in November (8 - 11) and this time included over 90 acts throughout 20 venues.

2013 saw the festival headline concert return to Rosalind Park. The festival was held over four days in November (7–10) with over 100 acts performing throughout 22 venues.

In 2014 the festival ran over 4 days from 6–9 November, with over 116 artists performing throughout Bendigo and surrounds. This year the festival held the main event at the Bendigo Civic Gardens. The inaugural 'Lazenby Young Blues Guitarist Award' was also held in 2014. This award was set up to honour Phil Lazenby, who died in 2013. [1]

In 2015 the festival staged over 400 performances in 48 venues from more than 180 acts over the 4-day program from 5–8 November. This included a return to Rosalind Park for the all-day family-friendly concert. It also included headline concerts at the Capital and Ulumbarra Theatres, as well as shows of all shapes and sizes at all kinds of venues in and around the city.

In 2016, approximately 15,000 people attended the festival. [2]

2017 saw the festival run over four days, officially launching at the Gold Dust Lounge on Thursday. Thirty-two venues hosted live music for the festival, as well as the main stages in Rosalind Park on Saturday. 2017 also saw the acts hosted in the Golden Dragon Museum for the first time since the festival began. [3]

The 2018 festival hosted over 150 acts in 50 venues, and included both free and ticketed events. [4] For the first time, the 2018 festival also held 'Blues Boot Camp' - a two day workshop aimed at developing theoretical and practical music industry skills for young musicians. [5]

The festival was not held in 2020 or 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Victoria. The final event took place in 2022 from 3-6 November, featuring 122 artists including Goanna and Colin Hay of Men at Work. [6]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Summerfest</span> Annual music festival in Wisconsin, United States

Summerfest is an annual music festival held in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. First held in 1968, Summerfest is located at Henry Maier Festival Park, adjacent to Lake Michigan and Milwaukee's central business district. Summerfest attracts approximately 800,000 people each year, promoting itself as "The World's Largest Music Festival", a title certified by Guinness World Records in 1999, but has been surpassed in attendance by Donauinselfest with over three million in 2015. While Summerfest has one of the highest aggregate attendances in the world, the daily attendance of Summerfest is lower than other major American music festivals. In 2022, the daily attendance of Summerfest was 49,500.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bendigo</span> City in Victoria, Australia

Bendigo is a city in Victoria, Australia, located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately 150 kilometres (93 mi) north-west of Melbourne, the state capital.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lollapalooza</span> American music festival

Lollapalooza (Lolla) is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991, and many years later, Chicago became its permanent location. Music genres include alternative rock, heavy metal, punk rock, hip hop, and electronic dance music. Lollapalooza has also featured visual arts, nonprofit organizations, and political organizations. The festival hosts an estimated 400,000 people each July and sells out annually. Lollapalooza is one of the largest music festivals in the world and one of the longest-running in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isle of Wight Festival</span> British music festival which takes place annually on the Isle of Wight in Newport, England

The Isle of Wight Festival is a British music festival which takes place annually in Newport on the Isle of Wight, England. It was originally a counterculture event held from 1968 to 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dos Equis Pavilion</span> Amphitheatre located in Dallas, Texas

The Dos Equis Pavilion is an outdoor amphitheatre located in Fair Park, Dallas, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coachella</span> American annual music and arts festival held in Indio, California

Coachella is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert. It was co-founded by Paul Tollett and Rick Van Santen in 1999, and is organized by Goldenvoice, a subsidiary of AEG Presents. The event features musical artists from many genres of music, including rock, pop, indie, hip hop and electronic dance music, as well as art installations and sculptures. Across the grounds, several stages continuously host live music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reading and Leeds Festivals</span> Pair of annual music festivals in England

The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend. The Reading Festival is held at Little John's Farm on Richfield Avenue in central Reading, near Caversham Bridge. The Leeds event is held in Bramham Park, near Wetherby, the grounds of a historic house. Headliners and most supporting acts typically play at both sites, with Reading's Friday line up becoming Leeds' Saturday line-up, Reading's Saturday line-up playing at Leeds on Sunday, and Leeds' Friday line-up attending Reading on Sunday. Campsites are available at both sites and weekend tickets include camping. Day tickets are also sold.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">100 Club</span> Music venue in London, England

The 100 Club is a music venue located at 100 Oxford Street, London, England, where it has been hosting live music since 24 October 1942. It was originally called the Feldman Swing Club, but changed its name when the father of the current owner took over in 1964.

The music of Alaska is a broad artistic field incorporating many cultures in the U.S. state of Alaska.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">T in the Park</span> Music festival in Scotland, 1994 to 2016

T in the Park festival was a major Scottish music festival that was held annually from 1994 to 2016. It was named after its main sponsor, Tennents. The event was held at Strathclyde Park, Lanarkshire, until 1996. It then moved to the disused Balado airfield, Perth and Kinross, from 1997 to 2014. In 2015 the festival moved to Strathallan Castle. It was originally held over two days, and extended to three days from 2007. In 2016 the daily capacity was 70,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Celtic Connections</span> Annual music festival in Glasgow, Scotland

The Celtic Connections festival started in 1994 in Glasgow, Scotland, and has since been held every January. Featuring over 300 concerts, ceilidhs, talks, free events, late night sessions and workshops, the festival focuses on the roots of traditional Scottish music and also features international folk, roots and world music artists. The festival is produced and promoted by Glasgow Life. Donald Shaw, a founding member of Capercaillie, was appointed Celtic Connections Artistic Director in 2006.

Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival is a music festival in Ann Arbor, Michigan, that started in 1972 from the Ann Arbor Blues Festival, which itself began in 1969. Although the festival has had a tumultuous history and suspended operations in 2006, it was restarted in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belfast Vital</span>

Belfast Vital is an annual music festival in Northern Ireland. It was first held near Botanic Gardens in 2002 then later moved to Ormeau Park in 2007, both of these venues were in Belfast. The festival had taken a noticeable undesired hiatus between 2008–2010 and returned in August 2011 at Ward Park in Bangor due to success of Ward Park as a venue for Snow Patrol's homecoming gig in 2010 which drew in an estimate crowd of 40,000. Sponsored by C&C Group plc and MCD Productions it was confirmed that the festival was set to return both in 2012 and 2013. In March 2017, it was announced via Facebook that the festival would return, with a new lineup, and under a new name as simply Belfast Vital or Vital, it is not yet clear if this is due to a withdrawal in sponsorship from Tennents or not, although there is nothing to suggest this and it is likely just a minor rebrand.

Freddy Bannister, sometimes written as Freddie Bannister, was a leading British concert promoter during the 1960s and 1970s, and was the founder of the Bath Festival of Blues 1969, the Bath Festival of Blues and Progressive Music 1970 and the Knebworth festivals.

The Y Not Festival is an annual music festival held in Pikehall, Derbyshire, United Kingdom. It began in 2005 as a house party organized by Ralph Broadbent. In its first year, its name was the Big Gin Festival. The main stage at the festival has retained this name as The Big Gin Stage. The following year, it was renamed Y Not Festival and was opened to the public. In 2007, the festival relocated to its current site at Pikehall in Derbyshire. The event has won awards and accolades at the UK Festival Awards, such as Best Grassroots Event and Best Toilets in 2011 and Best Small Festival in 2012. In 2016, the festival was sold to Global Radio's festival division, Broadwick Live. However, the original owners regained ownership in 2019. The event was not held in 2020 and 2021 as a result of lockdown measures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Tramlines Festival is an annual music festival held in Sheffield, UK. The festival was originally free to attend, but now requires tickets. The line-up consists of national and local artists. The festival was curated and organised by a panel comprising local venue owners, promoters and volunteers. The name of the festival is inspired by the city's tram network. Tramlines held its first festival in 2009, which attracted 35,000 fans and was seen as a huge success, and 2010's event doubled that figure. The success of Tramlines Festival 2011 led to the event winning 'Best Metropolitan Festival' at the UK Festival Awards. Superstruct Entertainment, the live entertainment platform backed by Providence Equity Partners, owns the festival after it entered definitive agreement for the acquisition of several live music and entertainment festivals from Global Media & Entertainment and Broadwick Live.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kendal Calling</span>

Kendal Calling is a music and arts festival, held annually at Lowther Deer Park in the Lake District, Cumbria in the North West of England. It has grown from a two-day, 900 capacity event in 2006 to a 40,000 capacity 4-day music festival. Kendal Calling has 9 stages and has featured live performances from notable artists such as Blondie, Pendulum, Doves, Dizzee Rascal, James, Mumford & Sons, Calvin Harris and British Sea Power. In 2010 Kendal Calling was awarded the Best Small UK Festival Award at the UK Festival Awards, as voted by the public. Kendal Calling also won the industry award 'Best Small Festival' at the LIVE UK awards 2011. Superstruct Entertainment, the live entertainment platform backed by Providence Equity Partners, owns the festival after it entered definitive agreement for the acquisition of several live music and entertainment festivals from Global Media & Entertainment and Broadwick Live.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Let's Rock (festival)</span>

Let's Rock is an annual family-friendly, 1980s-oriented music festival held throughout the United Kingdom. Since the first festival in 2009, it has grown every year to become the UK's largest festival for 1980s music, expanding to 14 locations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mile of Music</span>

Mile of Music is an annual all-original music festival located in downtown Appleton, Wisconsin. Started in 2013, the four-day festival runs the first weekend in August, Thursday through Sunday, and is a collaborative community event with support from nearly 50 business and community sponsors. The festival concept was created by marketing executive Dave Willems and Willems Marketing, Inc which specializes in community and non-profit projects. Willems recruited then Nashville-based touring artist and Appleton hometowner Cory Chisel to join the founding team along with Willems' staff.

The Perth International Jazz Festival (PIJF) is an annual jazz festival event held over three days in early November. This jazz festival incorporates both ticketed and free community events. Its location over the festival weekend spans across the CBD of Perth, the cultural precinct area of Northbridge, through to Hyde Park in the City of Vincent.

References

  1. Wooldridge, Simon. "For a drummer he sure had a lot of guitars". Bendigo Blues & Roots Music Festival. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  2. Wooldridge, Simon. "Year in review kind of thing…". Bendigo Blues & Roots Music Festival. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  3. "Sun shines on Blues and Roots festival | Photos". Bendigo Advertiser. 11 November 2017. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  4. D'Agostino, Emma (10 November 2018). "Music lovers lap up 2018 Bendigo Blues and Roots Music Festival". Bendigo Advertiser. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  5. Pedler, Chris (24 October 2018). "Blues Boot Camp to help 40 young musicians at this year's festival". Bendigo Advertiser. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  6. "The final-ever Bendigo Blues & Roots festival is happening this November". Beat. Retrieved 6 November 2022.