Festival so good it leads to imitator
ONE of Gold Coast’s biggest festivals, Cooly Rocks On, has become too successful for its own good according to the organiser of a rival car show which insists it isn’t in competition with the long-running event.
Classic motoring enthusiasts noticed a reduction in cars during the Coolangatta event at the weekend.
They blamed the Sunshine Coast’s Downunder Beachfest – which bills itself as the “coolest retro car festival on the planet” – along with the rain for the lack of cars.
Organiser of the new Caloundra event Colin Chapman said he kicked it off because he felt “annexed” when he tried to show his car at Cooly Rocks On three years ago.
He said he had to show his car too far away from the action near Marine Pde to parkland at Tweed Heads.
“About three years ago I was annexed to the area near Jack Evans Boat Harbour and what that told me was the festival was way too popular and way too successful,” said Mr Chapman, who is the Queensland state director of the Australian Street Rod Federation.
“We are not in competition (with Cooly Rocks), we are trying to complement the weekend.”
Mr Chapman said he hoped the popularity at Cooly Rocks On continued.
“I am dead set scared of the day Cooly Rocks on changes its dates because we will get thousands of cars that we just can’t handle,” he said.
“There’s absolutely no reason (for organisers) to be upset.
“We are catering for the overflow.”
Yesterday Southern Gold Connecting Coast boss Peter Doggett said it was unfortunate the newcomer ran the event on the same weekend but insisted the dates of the Gold Coast event would not change.
“We’re the old player and we’re the stayer,” Mr Doggett said.
He said classic car and rock and roll enthusiasts around the country know the event had always been on the first weekend of June.
“It’s been on for the past 23 years – that’s including the 17 years of Winter Sun and the six years of Cooly Rocks On,” Mr Doggett said.
“I’m more than happy to have a chat about it (the dates) with the Caloundra show.”
He said visitors to this year’s event had been on par with last year, which saw 100,000 attend over 10 days before rain caused fewer people to visit on the final day yesterday.