IT’S now only 100 days until the biggest party on the social calendar hits Tamworth – the country music festival.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Country music fans and festival stakeholders are getting in-tune and preparations are in full swing with just over three months to go.
Tamworth Regional Council business and events director John Sommerlad said they were, “flat out on the festival”.
He said they were arranging services and infrastructure including the Bicentennial Park stage, which would be the same as this year.
Mr Sommerlad said the events department was dealing with plenty of inquiries from buskers, performers and traders as well as sponsors.
Next year’s Tamworth Country Music Festival will see some changes with the traders in Fitzroy St on each side of the street, providing a clear path to Bicentennial Park and more concerts and activity in the town hall.
Fanzone will operate in a similar fashion to this year.
“We’re working on a few new features of the landscape in the precinct around Fitzroy St and Family Zone is back, probably bigger and better,” Mr Sommerlad said.
“The buskers will operate as normal and we have another stage for them to perform on to give them more exposure.
“We’ll have another buskers’ co-ordinator, which works well having someone they can liaise with and can go to, and we are also working on the marketing plans. Television commercials are in production as is the awards event – we are working feverishly on that.”
Another busy man in Tamworth is Rural Press Events general manager Barry Harley who is putting the finishing touches on their official guide and the planning of events including Toyota Star Maker.
“Toyota Star Maker is receiving entries now,” he said.
“We have received about 30 to date, with most coming in, in the last days. Entries close October 31.”
The final will be held in the town hall with the grand final part of the Concert for Rural Australia in the park, which will again feature Lee Kernaghan and a range of special guests to be announced in the coming weeks.
Work on the official guide, which includes stories and a festival program, has begun and the website tamworthcountrymusic.com.au is accepting event entries from venues and artists.
“We are about to announce some cool changes to the Coca-Cola Concerts in the Park,” Mr Harley said.
“We are generally getting everyone prepared for a hectic few months and confident the 43rd festival will be a very, very good one.”