Bluesfest 2024 day 3: carparking suspended; extra buses running
Parking at Byron’s Bluesfest has been suspended after the weather transformed most carparks into muddy messes. One woman says it has prevented her taking her wheelchair-bound son to the show.
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Rainy weather has turned many carparks at Byron Bay’s Bluesfest into a muddy mess, forcing organisers to stop offering parking to festival-goers.
The five-day Bluesfest, at the Tyagarah show ground, 11km north of Byron’s CBD, is running until Monday.
“Those who purchased parking tickets; these tickets will now serve as your return bus ticket,” a Bluesfest spokesperson said.
“If you were planning on parking today, please find an alternative way to get to the festival.”
A woman, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Byron Shire News she couldn’t take her wheelchair-bound disabled son to the festival because of the mud.
“We waited patiently for an update to find out whether we could get in with the (rain) last night,” she said.
“We had to cancel our support worker for (Saturday), and by the time Bluesfest put up a notification stating no one could purchase a parking ticket we were very frustrated.
“It cost us more than $1000. That’s a huge amount for us, and not to be able to go today is sad.”
While she said she understood these things happened, after hearing updates about the event organiser improving the site, she said she was “shocked” the parking area hadn’t been upgraded.
“Especially the area close to gates where the disability parking is,” she said.
“We were really looking forward to it … you can’t push a wheelchair through mud and boggy ground.”
Bluesfest took to Facebook about 3.30pm to announce the Byron Shire Council opened the Cavanbah Centre in Ewingsdale for parking for those not close to bus stops.
“A shuttle bus will run from Cavanbah to Bluesfest and back this evening,” it read.
Additional buses have been added to the routes of Suffolk Park, Byron Bay, Brunswick Heads, Mullumbimby, Billinudgel, Ocean Shores, South Golden Beach and New Brighton, and festival organisers said the would run until demand ceases.
See more bus information here.
Legendary Welsh singer Tom Jones, best known for top hits It’s Not Unusual and Sex Bomb with 6.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify, is set to play at 9.45pm.
Saturday’s line up:
Tedeschi Trucks Band, Pierce Brothers, Snarky Puppy, Fiona Boyes & The Fortune Tellers, Roshani, The Turner Brown Band, Velvet Trip, PJ Morton, Perry Street Park, Yarrmal and Ben Swissa.
As well as Emdee, Da Manager, The Cruel Sea, Taj Mahal, Ian Moss, Dan Sultan, Playing for Change Band, Lisa Hunt ‘Forever Soul’, Caravãna Sun, Tom Jones and Tommy Emmanuel.
Also 19-Twenty, The Allman Betts, Taj Farrant, Here Come the Mummies, Hussy Hicks, Blues Arcadia and RocKwiz Live.
Bluesfest began in 1990, showcasing music every Easter long weekend, it started with a crowd of 6000 which has increased to 100,000.
It features 200 performances across multiple stages over five x 12 hour days, camping for 6000 guests, has five licensed bars, more than 100 food and market stalls, undercover food courts and beer gardens.
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