Events are an important for tourism and the economy, provide another reason to visit, can boost traditionally quiet times of the year and it’s no secret that due to our climate and facilities; the Sunshine Coast has excelled in hosting ‘lycra and lace’ up style sporting events.
However, the scales are starting to balance out our sporting events with more ‘arts and cultural’ offerings such as Horizon Festival, Noosa alive and as a destination we are definitely punching above our weight when it comes to music festivals – boasting a massive line-up throughout the year including Woodford Folk Festival, Caloundra Music Festival, Big Pineapple Music Festival, Gympie Music Muster and Mitchell Creek Rock ‘N’ Blues Fest.
Equally impressive, there is one-day line-ups such as the upcoming and entertaining Sea N Sound Festival and I chatted with Venue Manager of Wharf Tavern, Terence Lunney to learn more about this year’s event and how it will celebrate the region.
Where did the idea for Sea N Sound come from? Wanting to increase the offer of music, showcase local and national craft beer products and the region’s amazing seafood. We realised that if we can combine all of these elements, the event would be perfect. From this, Sea N Sound Festival was born into Mooloolaba.
How long has the festival been running and how many people are you expecting? This will be Sea N Sound’s third year and we are expecting 4,000 plus in 2018 which has grown in numbers significantly since its inception in 2016. Based on current ticket sales; we are attracting people from Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and all the northern regions of the state.
What has been the greatest challenge in coordinating this event? The larger number of people will be the challenge, ensuring they are all feed and thirst quenched throughout the day. However, heading into our third year, the operations of this event are now a well-oiled machine!
What will be the highlight in 2018? Bringing the ARIA winning Australian icon, Paul Kelly to the region.
After Sea N Sound, what’s next? Next year’s Sea N Sound planning starts straight away to secure the right bill. Following on from this, we have a number of events we run such as MooloolaBaBQ Festival (March 2019) and the next big undertaking ideal for families, will be the Mooloolaba Birdman Challenge in November!
The Sea N Sound Festival will be held at the Wharf Tavern, Mooloolaba on 9 June, 2018.
Simon Latchford is the CEO of Visit Sunshine Coast.
