The Bluesfest music festival at Byron Bay has unveiled its new Lotus Palace solar powered performance stage.
The Bluesfest Sunflower with inventor Dr Barry Hill (left) and student Dylan Blackman
All performances at The Lotus Palace at Bluesfest this weekend will be powered by a new invention nicknamed The Sunflower.
Artists scheduled to perform at the Lotus Palace during Bluefest include Jon Anderson, Russell Morris and Christine Anu.
“We’re proud to officially launch the solar-powered sound system at Bluesfest, an event which has won many awards for its green initiatives and environmentally friendly practices,” said Dr Barry Hill, Contemporary Music course coordinator at SCU. “The aim of the project is to show the way sustainable design principles can be promoted within the Australian music industry, as well as promoting best practice in alternative power generation and energy efficient audio-visual technology.”
Bluesfest has been a finalist at the International ‘A Greener Festival Award’ from 2007-2012 for its innovative conservation and sustainability initiatives to ameliorate the impact of large events on the natural environment. “I applaud the SCU for developing this outstanding innovation. The Sunflower is another significant step forward to achieving our environmental goals,” says Bluesfest boss Peter Noble. “The triple bottom line is important to me and in time Bluesfest will also come to be known as a greenfest. People will come specifically to soak up our special vibe with an awareness they are partying up with full respect to our earth.”
Bluesfest 2013 started Thursday with performances from Ben Harper & Charlie Musselwhite, Jason Mraz, Counting Crows, Chris Isaak, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Robert Cray, Rodriguez, Joan Armatrading, Wanda Jackson, Frank Turner, Shawn Colvi and Trombone Shorty.
The festival this weekend will include performances from Paul Simon, Robert Plant, Santana, Wilco, Iggy & The Stooges, Rufus Wainwright, Steve Miller Band and The Lumineers.
Bluesfest will continue until Monday April 1.
