Update: Rescheduled Bluesfest Byron Bay Topped By Midnight Oil, Paul Kelly, Tash Sultana, Jimmy Barnes

Bluesfest Byron Bay
Courtesy Bluesfest – Bluesfest Byron Bay
2019

UPDATE:

Bluesfest Byron Bay unveiled a strong all-Australian lineup as it rescheduled for October after being axed 24 hours out by health authorities at Easter over a single COVID case in the region.
In a coup, Midnight Oil headline the October 1 opening night, launching their first album in 20 years. Festival director Peter Noble said, “Midnight Oil headlined Bluesfest in 2002, just before their extended hiatus. 
“It has always been my ambition to once again present the ‘holy grail of Australian artists’ at Bluesfest and have approached them every year, redoubling my efforts since their reformation in 2017.”
Singer songwriters Paul Kelly and Tash Sultana co-headline October 2 and R&B singer Jimmy Barnes the night after.
Others during the October comeback include John Butler, The Cat Empire, Xavier Rudd, Kasey Chambers, The Church, The Living End and The Angels.

Previously:
Australia’s Bluesfest Byron Bay is rescheduled for Oct. 1-4, with a new four-day format. It was to be a five-day event in April, before being canceled one day out for a second year by health authorities after a single case tested positive for COVID in the region. 
“We had to get off our back and onto our knees, then learn to crawl and walk again,” festival director Peter Noble said. “That was one of the most traumatic things that ever happened to any cultural event in the history of Australia.” 
The festival site, Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm, is now named Byron Events Farm.
The major opposition Labor party introduced a notice of motion in NSW Parliament calling on the state government to provide Bluesfest with a targeted grant. Bluesfest is up for Music Festival Of The Decade at the Pollstar Awards.