The announcement of the inaugural Campfire Festival at Hope Estate in March next year will ease the pain for those country music lovers hurt by the departure of the CMC Rocks three-day festival to Queensland.
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Booked for the same weekend, and using a similar on-site camping format, Campfire is a music extravaganza that the Hunter can call its own.
Big-time promoters such as Frontier and Roundhouse have taken notice of the Hunter’s thirst for international superstars, and have gifted the region with a veritable smorgasbord of acts over the summer holiday period.
Just around the corner, the Hunter vineyards will play host to large-scale performances by The Eagles, The Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart, Roxette, Sting and Paul Simon, John Farnham and Olivia Newton-John, The Black Keys, Jimmy Barnes, Cheap Trick and The Angels.
While Campfire has replaced the annual CMC Rocks the Hunter events, which had line-ups weighed heavily towards one major American country music star, the new festival has broadened its focus and includes roots artists like John Butler Trio and Ash Grunwald.
These two artists are sure to attract younger fans, who will find something on the line-up to enjoy alongside their parents.
Families will have the chance to camp in the stunning surrounds of the vineyards, an opportunity that should not be taken for granted.
If the Hunter’s music lovers support this new event, then it has the potential to grow into something bigger - perhaps an event comparable to Byron Bay’s world-class Bluesfest.
But one thing is for sure.
If we continue to attend these concerts then promoters will continue to deliver the world’s biggest artists to our doorstep.