Hope Estate will host its own major country music event in March after the promoters of CMC Rocks the Hunter last week announced they were moving the annual festival to Queensland.
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While details about who will play the three-day festival are still unclear, venue owner Michael Hope said that Hope Estate’s festival would be held on the original dates set down for the CMC Rocks event from March 13 to 15 next year.
The news comes after CMC Rocks released a statement last Thursday that outlined the promoters’ reasons for shifting the festival to Willowbank Raceway.
“The new larger site at Willowbank Raceway, south-west of Brisbane, opens up exciting options for us in the way we stage the event, along with greater catering and entertainment options, enhancing the festival experience for everyone,” Rob Potts Entertainment Edge CEO Rob Potts said.
The statement claimed customer dissatisfaction around food and beverage options and concerns over the camping ground were also among the reasons behind the festival being moved to Queensland.
Mr. Hope he was shocked that the festival has been taken away from the Hunter as nothing had been discussed, but that he was determined to put on a show for country music fans.
“We were getting a lot of phone calls from upset patrons and could see how disappointed everyone was,” he said.
“We are working now to have a country music festival here that weekend on those same dates so people who booked accommodation and flights can still use them.
“Ultimately I’m not happy that an event like this has been lost from Hope Estate, from the Hunter Valley and from NSW because it is very important for the local economy.
“It is a three-day festival that a lot of local businesses rely on revenue and patronage from.
“We’re looking to try and come up with a suitable line-up with some variety that country music fans will be very happy with.”
Mr. Hope said the dates for the 2015 festival were announced on stage at the end of this year’s event.
Cessnock Chamber of Commerce had been planning another Country Music Week to lead up to the 2015 festival, as was held this year.
Mr. Hope refuted CMC Rocks’ claims about the food and beverage options and the camping ground.
“We had an approval for 5000 campers; last year we had only 3800 which was the biggest number of campers we’ve ever had,” he said.
Mr. Hope said the camping model has been a success and that he is in talks with promoters about holding different festivals at the venue.
