QLD Government’s $20M boost for music festival ahead of Brisbane Olympics
Queensland Government has launched a new tourism initiative that would see $20M injected into Queensland Music Trails, an initiative of Queensland Music Festival.
The announcement:
A landmark new tourism initiative launches today that puts music center-stage of Queensland’s preparations to host Brisbane 2032.
Queensland Music Trails is a world-first music tourism experience that invites visitors from around the world to discover the wonders of Queensland’s natural beauty, through itineraries of iconic music events in amazing and unexpected locations.
Each regional music trail will feature a broad musical style that best evokes its distinct geography and, in a state with such a diversity of amazing outdoor locations, the annual trails calendar will include something for everyone. In 2023, 16 different regional and metropolitan places will play host to bespoke music experiences across trails in the Outback, North, Far North, and South-East of Queensland.
The Queensland Government will invest $20m in the initiative over the first three years, in a major boost to both the arts and tourism sectors. It represents a key milestone in its Creative Together 2020-2030 Roadmap for arts, culture and creativity.
Artists from around the world will feature along the Queensland Music Trails, although special attention will be drawn to Queensland’s established icons and emerging musical talent. At least 800 new opportunities will be created in its first year for Queensland artists and arts workers.
Queensland Music Trails is an initiative of QMF (Queensland Music Festival), which has delivered music events in partnership with over 100 Queensland communities across its 23-year history. A study of the 2021 Outback Music Trail pilot by the USQ Institute for Resilient Regions and AEC Economics demonstrated that the Queensland Music Trails model has the potential to create significant social, cultural and economic value for Queensland communities.
“Queensland Music Trails will be a mind-blowing travel experience, but at its heart and soul is a sincere desire to make a meaningful contribution to the story of Queensland. These events will put Queensland places on the global map and evolve perceptions of what the word ‘Queensland’ means,” said QMF chief executive, Joel Edmondson.
QMF will work closely with the rest of the tourism sector to deliver Queensland Music Trails, blending world-class music events with the dazzling array of regional experiences on offer throughout Queensland to create truly unique visitor offerings.
QMF, the team behind existing events like Yarrabah Music and Cultural Festival, Opera at Jimbour and The Long Sunset, is currently planning to kick off the first Queensland Music Trails in 2023.
Source: SGC
