Another New Music Festival Headed To Regional Victoria

Regional parts of Australia have been gifted a string of recently launched music festivals lately.

Denilquin in NSW is getting the brand new Deni Blues & Roots Festival next March, courtesy of Chugg Entertainment, with Santana and Steve Miller Band topping the bill; and Grinspoon, Birds of Tokyo, Regurgitator and more are set to rock a new music festival at Queensland’s famous tourist attraction, The Big Pineapple.

Then there’s the seaside town of Warrnambool, whose community organisers have sought consultation from a former organiser for the Tamworth Country Music Festival to aid in putting together a new annual music festival; while Geelong Mayor Keith Fagg is seeking support in eyeing a similar annual event in his prefecture.

Now it’s Ballarat’s turn, with news that greasers and dames alike will be flocking to the regional city for the new Ballarat Beat Rockabilly Festival.

The inaugural Rockabilly exclusive event will launch in February, 2013 and is expected to attract up to 10,000 visitors, reports The Courier.

The three-day festival will see over 30 local and international acts gracing the bill, along with other 1950s festival features such as car, fashion, and burlesque shows.

The full 2013 lineup includes American acts Omar Romero and The Desperados topping the bill, along with acts from all over the country heading to the Victorian town next February, including Western Australia’s The Continentals, Retro Rockets from NSW, West Texas Crude from Queensland, Victoria’s Atomic Hi-Tones, and many more.“There’s a lot of public interest for events in central Victoria, and I really want to create a world-class spectacle, one that the City of Ballarat can be proud of.”

Event organiser Arthur Matsakos says the Ballarat Rockabilly Festival “has the potential to become the largest in Australia and become known across the world.” Matsakos was behind the Camperdown Cruise Rockabilly Festival, which has grown in the last five years, eventually spawning the new Ballarat Beat offshoot.

“There’s a lot of public interest for events in central Victoria, and I really want to create a world-class spectacle, one that the City of Ballarat can be proud of,” says Matsakos, who also promises that the musical entertainment isn’t all that will dazzle, promising “the grandest Rockabilly Burlesque show the world has ever seen.”

Rounding out the Rockabilly experience, classic cars and hot rods will cine the streets, trade stalls will have a range of specialty clothing, music, retro magazines and plenty of that 50s vibe. There’s also the fashion parades, a high tea at Craig’s Hotel, and even rock n roll dance lessons.

The Rockabilly extravaganza is already being championed as part of the Ballarat Regional Tourism board in their latest campaign, with director George Sossi applauding the festival. “Events like this are a major plank of Ballarat,” said Sossi. “Instead of purely sporting events, we are putting forward Ballarat as a cultural destination as well.”

Ballarat Beat Rockabilly Festival 2013 Lineup

+ Omar Romero, USA
+ The Desperados, USA
+ Beebo, USA
+ CC Jerome’s Jetsetters, Netherlands
+ Midnight Drifters, Rock N Roll
+ Speedsters, Rock N Roll
+ The Headliners, Rock N Roll
+ The Continentals, WA
+ Retro Rockets, NSW
+ Kieron McDonald Combo, VIC
+ The Flattrakkers, NSW
+ Pat Capocci Combo, NSW
+ Atomic Hi-Tones, VIC
+ The Crawdads, WA
+ Men Into Space, QLD
+ West Texas Crude, QLD
+ The SugarShakers, QLD
+ Fire Bird Trio, VIC
+ Yard Apes, VIC
+ Lucky 7, Swing
+ Pearly Shells, Swing
+ F100′s, VIC
+ The ReChords, VIC
+ The Mayhem County Boys, QLD
+ Sin & Tonics, TAS
+ Scotty Baker, VIC