The Big Day Out will stay on the Gold Coast until at least 2018 in a new deal reached between festival organisers and the Queensland Government.
The Australian reports that organisers have accepted an offer to keep the BDO in the tourist mecca for another five years, with the Queensland Government to help them relocate the event to another Gold Coast venue.
The deal comes following a huge week of talks about the event’s future on the Gold Coast. Big Day Out CEO Adam Zammit said the Gold Coast leg was “as good as gone” last Friday following the Queensland Government’s decision to transform the current venue – the Gold Coast Parklands – into the athletes village for the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
It prompted Cairns, Townsville, Tweed Heads and Coffs Harbour to show some interest in snaring the event from the Gold Coast. Alas, unfortunately for music fans in those areas, they’ll now have to wait at least another five years.
Big Day Out CEO Adam Zammit said he was very relieved to keep the festival on the Gold Coast, and would be sussing out new venues immediately.
“We hope to secure and announce a new location on the Gold Coast very soon,” he said.
Queensland Tourism Minister Jann Stuckey said that the event would continue to bring fantastic benefits to the region for years to come.
“The Big Day Out is a major event for the Gold Coast, attracting visitors from throughout Queensland and interstate and I am very pleased to see it stay on the Gold Coast,” she said.
The last Big Day Out to be staged at the Gold Coast Parklands will take place on January 20.
The announcement follows a pretty huge day of Big Day Out-related news – with next Friday’s opening leg of the tour in Sydney completely sold out as of today.
