Published on Wednesday, 7 February 2018 at 12:00:00 AM
The Town of Port Hedland has announced that its popular North West Festival will continue in 2018 with a dynamic program of leading Australian music acts, as it celebrates its 7th year on the region’s arts and cultural calendar.
A revised event management structure, increased cost efficiencies and stronger promotion of local talent will also form a part of the event planning.
The decision follows the Council’s annual review of the event, which will see a move from a long-term contract arrangement with Perth-based Sunset Events - to a flexible and localised model managed by the Town.
Mayor Camilo Blanco, said that the Festival plays a significant role in celebrating Australian music and provides a unique opportunity for young local musicians to gain access to world-class entertainment experiences.
“Since its inception in 2012, the Festival has presented leading local and international music acts. We have also received outstanding support from our industry and community partners.
“The annual review process of the North West Festival provides an opportunity for Council to evaluate the event against its strategic goals and budget. It also ensures that we are delivering an event that the community wants!
“We are not changing the nature of the event, but simply adopting a more cost effective internal structure.
“The Town has recently conducted extensive community surveying and people are fully supportive of a quality music event for the 18-40 year old demographic.
“Our aim is to leverage our in-house skills capacity, promote local talent and build on the success of previous years, to create a fantastic 2018 event.
“The success of the Festival is due, in no small part, to the efforts and expertise provided by Sunset Events over many years and we extend our sincere thanks for their sustained contribution.”
According to Sunset Events Director, David Chitty, The North West Festival originally started as a major regional event and has evolved to reflect the changing demographic of the Hedland community.
“When we first developed the Festival in 2012, an event of this scale had not been seen before in the region.
“Over the years, we have delivered world-class acts including: Paul Kelly, The Cat Empire, Missy Higgins, The Dandy Warhols, The Veronicas, Xavier Rudd, The Rubens, Sarah Blasko and Angus and Julia Stone, to name just a few.
"In 2017, we moved the event to the Civic Centre Gardens with a more secure waterfront setting. The new format was also well received, showing that no matter what shape the event takes, it’s now a firm fixture on the town and region’s performing arts calendar.
“We are extremely proud of what we’ve achieved in working with the Town of Port Hedland and all event partners and look forward to watching its future journey.”
The dates and artist announcements for the 2018 event will be released in the coming months.
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