Flume, pictured at the Dour Festival, performed at the One Night Stand when it was held in Dubbo. Photo: Kmeron/Flickr.
Griffith City Council is urging residents to fill in an online pitch form to host an annual regional music festival that could potentially bring acts such as Silverchair, Flume and the Hilltop Hoods to the town.
ABC radio station triple j’s One Night Stand – a one-day, all-ages, drug and alcohol-free live music event – was held in a different Australian small town each year from 2004 to 2019. After a five-year hiatus, regional areas have been invited to make their pitch to stage the event in late 2024.
While the ABC has not released any formal assessment criteria for deciding which town gets selected, Griffith City Council event organiser Izabella Apolloni provided some insight.
“There are two main questions in the application the ABC wants to know about our town,” she said.
“Tell us why [the event] should come to your town and tell us some interesting facts about your town.
“We’d love a major event like this to be held in our town and we’re asking the community to support us.”
Council wants as many residents as possible to fill in the ABC’s online form to strengthen the case for Griffith hosting the One Night Stand.
The following information can be used for the form:
Council approval: Yes
Council Name: Griffith City Council
Name of contact person at council: Izabella Apolloni
What is their position: Events coordinator
Council email address: [email protected]
Council phone number: 02 6962 8400
Population: 27,000
The date and line-up for the 2024 concert are still to be decided. Acts such as Hilltop Hoods, Meg Mac, Ocean Alley, G Flip and Chelsea Manor performed at the last One Night Stand, which was held in the tiny South Australian town of Lucindale (population: 555) in 2019.
The closest the event has come to the Riverina was when Mildura hosted it 10 years ago.
“We got a huge influx of people, including a demographic that doesn’t usually visit; it was cool to have so many younger people come to our town,” Mildura music buff James Price said.
“The day before and the night after was a big shot in the arm for local businesses; there was a big after-party where they blocked off the street. The economic injection was pretty significant.”
Former Mildura MP and mayor Ali Cupper, who helped bring the event to her town, also had fond memories.
“I’ll never forget it,” she told Region. “I remember walking around the streets and being amazed by how many cool people had poured into town. It’s a great opportunity for a local area to tap into their quirky, eclectic side and showcase what is truly unique about a region.”
Mr Price said if Griffith was fortunate enough to stage the concert, the town needed to make sure there was plenty for young people to do in the day before and after the event.
Alice Springs (2010), Port Pirie (2006), Dubbo (2013), Geraldton (2016), Mount Isa (2017) and St Helens (2018) are other towns to have hosted One Night Stand.
“The ABC is one of the biggest supporters of Australian music and live performance. At a time when the local music industry needs support, the ABC is thrilled to come to the party with the return of triple j’s One Night Stand,” ABC managing director David Anderson said.
“We recognise the festival landscape in Australia has changed since we last put on a One Night Stand.
“triple j and the ABC is working … on how best we can use this event to increase much needed investment in the Australian music industry, while staying true to One Night Stand’s core mission of delivering a one-of-a-kind event, accessible to the public, based in regional Australia.”
Any questions about One Night Stand can be directed to Ms Apolloni by email at [email protected].
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