The Winter Blues Festival, now in its 24th year, has gone from humble beginnings as a one-Sunday-afternoon event in a pub with a handful of bands – to being a festival that sprawls across 4 days, in 20-plus venues around the town of Echuca, Victoria. The festival features the cream of the Australian Blues music scene and is one of the longest-running and most important events on the blues festival calendar. As always, the event is free.
The Winter Blues Festival is delighted to announce its first round of artists for 2023, a list that contains some festival favourites and some new artists to discover. There’s something for the die hard blues fans, but also music that’s perfect to accompany a relaxing weekend with a few drinks, some good food, and some good friends.
Along with the continued success of the Winter Blues Festival has come huge economic and cultural benefits for the local and regional community. As 20,000 punters make the annual pilgrimage to Echuca Moama from all over Australia, it’s hard to believe that the last weekend in July was once the quietest weekend of the year for tourism in the historic port town.
The Winter Blues Festival was set up by the community for the community and is a not-for-profit organisation that relies on funding from local businesses and grants funding to keep going. Show your support for this local event by heading into town on the weekend of July 27-30 this year, buying a drink or two, having a meal, and getting down to the sound of the blues.
Winter Blues Festival – First artist announce (in alphabetical order):
Dom Turner & The Rural Blues Project
Sweet Felicia and The Honeytones
At a Glance
What: The Winter Blues Festival
When: 27th – 30th July, 2023
Where: Various venues throughout Echuca Moama, VIC
How much: All venues are free entry
Wrap Party on Sunday night is a ticketed fund-raising event featuring the cream of the festival, ticket sales soon to be announced.
More info: www.winterblues.com.au