Artists ready to rock

AUSTRALIAN rock legend Jimmy Barnes has been announced as the headline act for this year’s Savannah in the Round music festival to be hosted at the Mareeba Rodeo Grounds 6-8 October.

Savannah in the Round will once again prove to be one of Far North Queensland largest and most popular music festivals as the organisers put forward an all-star lineup of Australian musicians.

Joining Barnes on stage will be Australian musical legends Kasey Chambers, Kate Ceberano and Daryl Braithwaite alongside some of the hottest names in country including Brad Cox, James Johnston and Casey Barnes.

This year’s line-up also boasts an impressive 15 local Far North Queensland artists including Tablelands-based Jeremy Fletcher, Aurelle Brunjes and Careless, as well as Cooktown’s Yazmindi.

The Pigs, Black Image, Roz Pappalardo, and Out of Abington are just a few of the other Far North Queensland artists set to perform.

Australian Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee Don Walker, beloved multi-awardwinning artist Fanny Lumsdem, Aussie icon Russell Morris and countless others will also be performing.

Festival director James Dein said this year’s line-up was focused on the Australian music scene as it had “never been hotter”.

“We decided this year to lead with the locals first,” he said.

“This year’s event will welcome a who’s who of the best in Australian rock, pop and country heading north for a three-day party.

“Savannah in the Round is a true celebration of everything that’s great about Australia and everything that’s special about Far North Queensland and this year’s event will be our biggest one yet.

“We’re dedicated to championing our Aussie acts and putting the spotlight on them first. But watch this space - we still have a few surprises up our sleeves - both local and tourists.”

For the first time in the event’s history, Savannah in the Round will also include a very special edition of the iconic Great Northern Bull Riding Series over Friday and Saturday night.

Some of Australia’s best riders will go head-to-head in a one-of-a-kind, two-hour bull riding spectacular, soundtracked by some of Australia’s best music.

Jimmy Barnes is no stranger to the Far North, touring here in 2019, and is looking forward to coming back.

“A few years ago, I had the pleasure of heading to North Queensland as part of my Shutting Down Your Town tour and it reopened my eyes to just how beautiful this country can be,” he said.

“With a combination of some of the country’s most beautiful locations, populated by some great North Queensland music lovers, I couldn’t be happier to be heading up to Mareeba for Savannah In The Round this year.”

In addition to Savannah in the Round’s expansive music offerings, punters will also be able to experience a variety of camping, glamping and on-site festival delights. Alongside major, world class performances on the Main Stage, Big Top Music Hall and in the Bull Bar, Savannah will feature Indigenous visual art, music and dance displays, a market village full of local produce an onsite “paddock to plate” experience showcasing the freshest local ingredients.

Member for Cairns and Assistant Tourism Minister Michael Healy said Savannah in the Round was a highlight of the 2023 It’s Live! in Queensland events calendar.

“We look forward to welcoming more than 12,000 spectators to Savannah in the Round, which last year generated $4.5 million for Tropical North Queensland’s visitor economy,” he said.

With rave reviews across the nation and a strong pickup of early-bird sales for the 2023 edition, Savannah in the Round is once again looking to make its mark on the region, while raising the bar for live entertainment and increasing visitation in one of the most beautiful locations in the world.

Tickets for Savannah In The Round 2023 are on sale now at www.savannahintheround.com.au

▪ For the full line-up of artists, see The Express’ website.

LOCALS and visitors looking to get a taste of Savannah in the Round this October will also witness some of the best bull riders in the country show their skills as the Great Northern Bullriding Series will host two of their rounds over the course of the festival.

Savannah in the Round festival director and Sound Australia CEO James Dein said it was a no brainer to include a bull riding event in this year’s festival.

Mr Dein was approached by the Great Northern Bullriding Series to host the bull ride during the festival, something they had done years prior.

“We worked together previously in the very first Savannah and it was a harmonious relationship,” he said.

“We understand each other and it wasn’t a hard decision to make, we think it is going to add a great spectacle to what already is a fantastic event.”

Mr Dein is excited to be able to add another layer to the successful Savannah in the Round formula this year.

“Bull rides are universally very popular right through regional parts of Australia but very particularly Queensland and the merge of bull rides and music is not a recent thing – I was running music festival and bull rides combined back in the 90s,” he said.

“I think it is a great thing, you go to a music festival broadly for musical entertainment but also if you can include bull riding it opens it up to a much wider audience, particularly the younger demographics, 18-30s, cannot get enough of it.

“Part of the goal with running music festivals is you are always looking for renewal in the audience, looking to try and attract the younger demographic and we have tried to program artists that align with that audience this year.”

The bull riding format has been changed since the first Savannah and the event will now take place adjacent to the Big Top Music Tent at twilight, just before the main stage fires up for the main acts of the night.

There will be two rounds of the bull ride, one on Friday night and another on Saturday and it will be a double event in every sense of the word with double money up for grabs and double points for the riders.

“You are going to see the cream of the bull riding crop at Savannah because it is the last show before our finals – it will be a spectacle,” Great Northern Bullriding Series director Peter Brown said.

The first round of The Great Northern Bullriding Series was hosted in Mareeba over the weekend and the finals in Atherton are due to take place after the Savannah in the Round during the festival on 6-8 October.