GROUNDWATER TAPS INTO FESTIVAL’S CULTURE
THE Broadbeach Country Music Festival will change its name to the Groundwater Country Music Festival from next year.
Event organisers Broadbeach Alliance say this year’s fifth annual event in July attracted a record 54,000 people – a 77 per cent increase on the previous year.
Alliance CEO Jan McCormick said the name change and rebrand, to be announced today, reflected the event’s status as Australia’s fastest-growing country music festival.
“We have been blown away by the growth of this festival on the Gold Coast,” she said.
“In just five short years it has become … a must-do on the events calendar for music lovers and artists.”
She said the new name paid tribute to a common denominator in bringing people together and reflected the culture of the Australian people for whom rivers, lakes, streams and oceans were a central part of life.
“Groundwater as a name is reflective of Australia’s unique culture, drawing from both the Aboriginal people’s close spiritual connection with the groundwater, as well as the farming community’s reliance on groundwater for survival,” she said.
“Fans can expect Groundwater to stay true to its country roots while following the music landscape which continuously blurs musical genres to attract diverse audiences including the young and young at heart.”
She said the festival’s success reflected the growing contemporary appeal of country music in Australia.
“We have been watching this musical genre closely on a global landscape and felt now is the right time to introduce a new brand signifying that we are ready to take the strength of this festival even further,” she said.
Mrs McCormick said the free festival and its sister event, the Blues on Broadbeach Music Festival, were produced by a small, highly experienced team that understood how the key role artist programming played in retaining loyal audiences and attracting new visitors.