Greg Donovan

Big Red Bash

The Big Red Bash, the world’s most remote music festival, draws over 9,000 people across the Outback to see great Aussie acts and re-connect with families and friends. Experiencing the Outback environment and culture and a deep sense of community are core to the event’s success. A dried-out bed of an ancient lake and a giant red sand dune as a backdrop form the perfect setting for an outback concert. As legendary Aussie artists fill the desert air with their classic sounds, travellers and locals sit back together and soak up the magic.

Grow community

Greg is committed to doing the right thing for the local community, the volunteers, and the environment. His passion has created a profitable, safe, sustainable and family-friendly event focused on celebrating outback life and culture.

“We want people to feel like it’s a community. A little town springs up for a week, ‘Bashville’, the second biggest town in Queensland to the west of the great divide.”

The event has broad appeal, welcoming like-minded travellers from family groups and grey nomads with a taste for outback adventure, to backpackers working through their Aussie bucket lists and the local community. The sense of community and connection Greg has fostered means travellers keep returning to be part of something rather special in the desert.

Free tickets are provided to all locals, the Indigenous community is involved in the event and the local council is engaged to maximise event benefits. “We came for the music but were blown away by the atmosphere, the setting and the camaraderie.”

Being part of a unique event and community means the highly coveted 500 volunteer roles are readily filled. “We put a lot of emphasis on the volunteer experience, making sure it’s a really positive and worthwhile experience where they feel valued and are valued.”

Care for the environment

The event is creating awareness amongst guests of the importance of minimising their environmental footprint and putting environmental sustainability into practice. Guests are responsible for their own rubbish which empowers them to find ways to reduce it and for their own supply and consumption of water. Composting toilets are used on site to deliver a better experience for guests compared with portaloos and to benefit the environment. They eliminate the need for water and produce rich compost. The Big Red Bash is looking to reduce and then ultimately eliminate all single use plastics, with all vendors removing their own waste. “We want to be part of the movement towards environmentally sustainable events and encourage event organisers and vendors to get on board.”

Big Red Bash’s forward-thinking event crew is passionate about ensuring the event has a minimal environmental footprint on the pristine local environment. Environmental sustainability is a central element in the event planning and delivery.“

Promote humanity

Back in 2013, Greg invited musicians to entertain competitors and volunteers at the Big Red Run, a 250km marathon fundraiser he organised to raise money for Type 1 diabetes. When the event attracted 500 people to listen to the music, he knew he had the beginnings of a music festival in the outback, and the Big Red Bash was conceived. Giving back continues, as now every year burly blokes in frocks and wigs sprint down the dune in a ‘drag race’ to raise thousands of dollars for the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

“Big Red Bash was born out of a desire to make a difference in our communities. Supporting people and organisations such as the Royal Flying Doctor Service who are looking after our guests is the right thing to do.”