Byron Bay Bluesfest attracts over 100K people

The 27th Bluesfest attracted over 100,000 people to Byron Shire last weekend.

Bluesfest
The 27th Bluesfest attracted over 100,000 people to Byron Shire last weekend.

Organisers sold 94.8 per cent of total tickets and booked 82 bands to play at the custom built event site at the Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm.

According to The Music Network, Kendrick Lamar opened the festival on Thursday night before the biggest crowd of the event, with The Cat Empire and the Eagles of Death Metal drawing the next largest audiences.

Other acts included Tedeschi Trucks Band and Joe Bonamassa, Brian Wilson performing Pet Sounds, Archie Roach doing his debut album Charcoal Lane in its entirety, Tom Jones joined by The Blind Boys of Alabama D’Angelo, Jackson Browne, The National, Kamasi Washington joined by his father Ricky Washington, and The Wailers who performed a different Bob Marley and The Wailers classic album on different nights.

Debut acts included Rhiannon Giddens, Elle King, The Bros Landreth and Blackberry Smoke.

Bluesfest Director Peter Noble told The Music Network that he is tempted to book the exact same line-up for 2017 because the festival was so successful and the performances were so strong.

The festival also featured Boomerang, an indigenous festival that featured a dance ground, healing tent and talks and ideas stage. The Boomerang closing ceremony showcased First Nation artists from across the globe including Papua New Guinea, Fiji, New Zealand, Tibet, Canada, Rotuma Island and Solomon Islands.

Click on the image below to watch the highlights from day one.

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