Bumper Falls fest celebrates 25 years
THEY say Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither was the iconic Lorne edition of the Falls Music Festival.
Falls celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, from humble beginnings as a one-day event in Lorne to a mammoth touring event across four days and three states.
Hundreds of volunteers and staff have descended on the festival’s ancestral home of Erskine Falls over the past month to prepare for today’s launch.
One of them is Lorne local Ella Mills, a first-time volunteer and long-time eager punter.
“It’s so lovely to be a part of such a community-driven festival. So many of the staff and volunteers are local,” she said. “I first started coming to the festival back when it was an all-ages event, so I must have been 12. I was so obsessed with Silverchair back then, and they were playing.”
This year’s line-up might not have secured the likes of Silverchair, but it does have a variety of international and Australian superstars such as Flume, Peking Duk, The Kooks and Liam Gallagher.
Sited just west of central Lorne, the festival works to share its success with the coastal town. Shuttles run from the event to the town over the weekend, allowing punters to enjoy the local businesses and stunning beaches.
Event manager Ruth Blackhirst said the incredible community support and hardworking team were a key part of the festival’s longevity.
“It is tough out there and we never take success for granted,” she said.
“Falls have a dedicated team that works year-round to provide a unique positive experience for patrons that evolves and grows each year.”
It hasn’t been all smooth sailing for the event.
Organisers pulled off a miraculous relocation in 2015, 48 hours before the festival was scheduled to go ahead after a bushfire near Lorne jumped containment lines.
Last year, a “crowd crush” left 19 people in hospital and 76 requiring first aid. An investigation by WorkSafe found insufficient evidence to prosecute organisers over the incident, although a class action brought against organisers by those injured is due to be heard in June next year.
That incident hasn’t seemed to faze Lorne’s thousands of loyal punters, the festival once again selling out in record time.
Surf Coast police have confirmed they will have a presence at Falls Festival this year, with drug and booze buses set to be posted around paths to the site.
The Falls Festival opens today.