{"id":588647,"date":"2026-04-06T07:26:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T07:26:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/588647\/"},"modified":"2026-04-06T07:26:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T07:26:10","slug":"byron-bounces-back-after-bluesfest-cancellation-as-easter-crowds-enjoy-musical-treats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/588647\/","title":{"rendered":"Byron bounces back after Bluesfest cancellation as Easter crowds enjoy musical treats"},"content":{"rendered":"

It was a case of no festival, no worries for thousands of music fans who packed venues across the Byron Shire over the Easter long weekend.<\/p>\n

The late cancellation of Bluesfest<\/a> left many wondering what to do with the flights and accommodation they had booked.<\/p>\n

Those who decided to make the journey regardless were richly rewarded, with some of the Australian and international stars scheduled to take the stage at the festival performing smaller shows for ecstatic crowds.<\/p>\n

Reggae legends The Wailers brought Brunswick Heads to a standstill on Sunday night, when fans packed the pub, adjoining street and park.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"About<\/p>\n

Music lovers in Brunswick Heads scrambled to any vantage point they could find to see The Wailers, who were meant to headline Bluesfest.<\/p>\n

\u00a0 (Supplied: Janet Hanlan)<\/p>\n

Janet Hanlet was one of those in the crowd.<\/p>\n

The Mid North Coast local said she had been going to Bluesfest for 20 years but relished the smaller venue.<\/p>\n

“It took me back to the good old days of Australian pub rock \u2014 it was pumping,” she said.<\/p>\n

“They finished the set with Buffalo Soldier and that had the crowd completely rocking.<\/p>\n

“The vibe must have got out on social media because just everybody came down. There were vans, backpackers \u2014 the entire community came out to celebrate.”<\/p>\n

The same venue hosted a gig by Australian rockabilly veterans The Living End earlier in the weekend, when the crowd was treated to a surprise appearance by Jimmy Barnes, who belted out the Cold Chisel classic Khe Sanh.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Lisa Hunt performed for the Easter crowd at Byron Bay’s Beach Hotel. (Supplied: Deb Milgate)<\/p>\n

In nearby Byron Bay, local Deb Milgate was doing her best to forget about the $1,800 she lost on Bluesfest tickets.<\/p>\n

“I was just soaking up whatever entertainment was on \u2014 there was just music everywhere we went,” she said.<\/p>\n

“It was actually nice to have options. [You could] come and go from different places and not be locked into a festival till midnight.”<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Zee Gachette pivoted from playing Bluesfest to Mullumbimby’s Courthouse Hotel. (Supplied: Mandy Nolan)<\/p>\n

Zee Gachette had been due to play Bluesfest with her seven-piece band Muthastar.<\/p>\n

Instead, she stepped out on a much smaller stage at the Courthouse Hotel in Mullumbimby.<\/p>\n

Local woman Mandy Nolan was at the gig and said the artist received a huge response from the crowd when she lamented the loss of Bluesfest, before declaring “the show must go on”.<\/p>\n

“This was a world-class gig, for free, at a pub in Mullumbimby,” Ms Nolan said.<\/p>\n

There were fears the loss of the iconic festival, which was part of the region’s cultural calendar for more than 30 years, would be a body blow for the local economy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Matt Williamson says live music is still a big drawcard in Byron. (ABC North Coast: Hannah Ross)<\/p>\n

But Byron Bay Chamber of Commerce president Matt Williamson said the Easter long weekend seemed as busy as ever.<\/p>\n

“We’ve seen so much music in the shire this long weekend,” he said.<\/p>\n

“It’s been ridiculous and everyone’s got a story about it.<\/p>\n

“We’ve just got to keep that momentum rolling.<\/p>\n

“Town’s just been bursting with people \u2014 it looks like everyone’s had a little bit of stoke.”<\/p>\n

Byron Mayor Sarah Ndiaye said she was hoping something similar involving multiple artists and venues could be organised for the future.<\/p>\n

“There’s people putting their heads together to make this work and I’m talking to the government about how they can support us,” she said.<\/p>\n

“I’m really proud of our whole community for coming together and making sure Easter was a wonderful time for all the people visiting.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It was a case of no festival, no worries for thousands of music fans who packed venues across…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":588648,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[64,63,287666,270095,287667,287670,134,36083,287669,124584,287665,287668],"class_list":{"0":"post-588647","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-bluesfest-2026","11":"tag-bluesfest-cancelled","12":"tag-bluesfest-sideshows","13":"tag-byron-bay-chamber-of-commerce","14":"tag-entertainment","15":"tag-jimmy-barnes","16":"tag-lisa-hunt","17":"tag-the-living-end","18":"tag-the-wailers","19":"tag-zee-gachette"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/588647","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=588647"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/588647\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/588648"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=588647"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=588647"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=588647"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}