A diverse range of music festivals run all over Australia year-round, providing punters a massive variety of ways to experience live music. As the emphasis of the overall festival experience increases, so too does the final product provided by festival organisers.
Many festivals have evolved into destination events, often now spanning multiple days and taking over towns. Festivals like UNIFY Gathering, Groovin’ The Moo, Tamworth Country Music Festival, Big Pineapple Festival and more bring their respective genres to various regions all around the country, drawing in masses of music lovers to these small areas.
This increase in visitor numbers impacts each area differently, but almost always has a positive impact on the community. Below we take a look at the way festivals affect the places they’re held in.
Tamworth Country Music Festival
Each year, Australia’s country music capital Tamworth is taken over by the iconic Tamworth Country Music Festival. In January 2019, over 300,000 music fans from all over the country will converge upon the home of the iconic golden guitar celebrate their favourite music genre.
With over 2,800 events, including 800 artists playing across 120 venues, there is room for everything from alt-country to yodelling. It’s a family friendly event that draws attendees from all walks of life.
From hotels and motels, to restaurants, bars, supermarkets and even petrol stations, businesses big and small benefit from the massive influx of tourism brought on by TCMF.
If you’re heading to Tamworth Country Music Festival in January, get up to speed on all of country music’s many subgenres – from alt-country to folk, watch Australian country music star Lachlan Brian explain the intracies of the much loved style.
SXSW
Since the first event in 1987, South By Southwest has grown into a huge destination event for professionals and fans. The festival takes over Austin as hundreds of thousands of tourists and media professionals fill the city to the brim, which reportedly made a $350.6 million impact on Austin’s economy over the course of the 2018 event.
The two-week festival saw 425,000 people participate across various SXSW events in 2018, including music showcases, film screenings, exhibitions, interactive events, a variety of networking opportunities and more.
“I can think of no single event that has more impact on the Austin hospitality and tourism industry than South by Southwest,” said Scott Joslove, president and CEO of the Texas Hotel and Lodging Association.
UNIFY Gathering
Held in Tarwin Lower, VIC, UNIFY Gathering is carefully planned around both the local and music community. In a town called home by less than 400 people, the influx of around 10,000 heavy music fans each January has a massive impact on the local community.
The local businesses, particularly the IGA and bottle-o, get quite the workout over UNIFY weekend. Attendees all stay locally, camping on-site or staying in off-site accomodation, bringing a whole lot of financial revenue to the town.
Organisers also offer free passes to any local residents who want to attend the festival, and also encourage local groups and sports teams to be involved and fundraise at the event.
Queenscliff Music Festival
Three-day Queenscliff Music Festival takes over the seaside town of Queenscliff in Victoria for a weekend of diverse musical performances. The festival was originally created to help convert a lull in the tourist season into a peak time for the local tourism industry, a goal which it achieves each year the festival runs.
A popular holiday destination, Queenscliff offers a range of entertainment for punters outside of the festival — wineries, heritage walks, cafés and bars, golf, diving, art galleries and a local retail precinct. All of these local businesses benefit from the arrival of so many tourists during their quiet period.
