The 24th Annual Bluesfest was awarded the Gold Award in the Major Festival and Events category last night at the 2013 NSW Tourism Awards held at the Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney. Bluesfest2013 which included headliners such as Paul Simon, Robert Plant and Santanawas nominated against Tamworth Country Music Festival. Bluesfest Festival Director Peter Noble was in Sydney along with ten members of the Bluesfest team who went on stage to accept the award. Peter Noble said “ What an honour to receive a NSW Tourism Award three years in a row, we are proud to bring this award home to the North Coast and to be representing NSW in the Australian Tourism Awards in February next year.
The category of Major Festivals & Events is open to hallmark Festivals or Events that create substantial economic impact, attract visitors from interstate and or overseas, generate a national or international media profile and positively promote the destination. It is not just a proud win for Bluesfest but also a major recognition for the Northern Rivers/North Coast NSW region.Bluesfest won the Silver award in this category in 2012 and Gold in 2011.
The award comes after a winning streak of award wins and nominations for Bluesfest including last weeks Australian Event Award win for Best Regional Event, the esteemed Helpmann Award for Best Contemporary Music Festival at the 13th Annual Helpmann Awards in Sydney, A Greener Festival Award, a North Coast Tourism Award for Business excellenceas well as a nomination for the highly regarded Annual Pollstar Award in the category of the 2013 ‘International Music Festival of the Year’.
The 25th Anniversary Bluesfest will take place over the next Easter long weekend; Thursday 17th– Monday 21stApril, 2014 at the Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm in Byron Bay, NSW. Headliners announced to date include Jack Johnson, John Mayer, Dave Matthews Band and contemporary acts Passenger, Iron & Wine and Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros amongst many others. The latest Bluesfest announcement included Blues greats including Buddy Guy, newcomer Jake Bugg, The James Cotton Blues Band, Booker T. Jones, Charlie Musselwhite, Eric Bibb and many more.
Bluesfest playing schedule is available on www.bluesfest.com.au
All Festival and Camping tickets are on sale through www.bluesfest.com.au or by phoning the office on 02 6685 8310. Tickets are also available through Ticketmaster on www.ticketmaster.com.au
Gaynor Crawford Bluesfest Publicist www.bluesfest.com.au
