Festival returns
Organisers of the upcoming Strings Attached: The West Australian Guitar Festival say they are thrilled to be bringing the festival back after pausing the event in 2020.
Festival director Dan White said it was exciting to bring the event back Margaret River after a bumpy year of COVID-19 disruptions.
“We’re really excited to be back for another big year,” White said.
“It’s been tough navigating the obstacles thrown at us by restrictions, lockdowns etc. which meant the cancellation of the 2020 festival, but i think it makes it more important than ever for both the guitar industry and guitar lovers to be able to come together and stay connected through a celebration of music and craftsmanship.”
Scheduled for the weekend of October 8-10 at Margaret River HEART, the Strings Attached program also includes a range of satellite events happening at venues close to home.
“Pretty much every venue hosting a festival event this year is walking distance from the centre of town so festival-goers can pick between the selection of events on offer and access them all easily,” White said.
“We’ve been working on expanding this youth program this year, which will offer a load of free events for aspiring guitarists and musicians to learn directly from the pros. ”
The full program is still to be launched in August, but initial ticket sales have already been positive after an early release this week.
First release weekend passes were sold out by Monday evening, and White expected the solid line up of talent and exhibitions would capture the interest of the wider community – not just the music fans.
“The main exhibition at Margaret River HEART is set to welcome more incredible luthiers, tool makers and displays which are free for the public check out over the festival weekend, whilst the performance and workshop side of things will include a huge variety of artists including Australian blues royalty Jeff Lang, Golden Guitar and ARIA award winners Felicity Urquhart & Josh Cunningham, WA’s reigning best bass player Grace Barbe and many many more,” White said.
“Local support is integral to the success and longevity of Strings. this festival is runs by locals with locals in mind and wouldn’t survive without the support of the Margaret River community going to events, checking out the guitar exhibition at the HEART and spreading the word.”