Albany’s music scene is set to turn up the volume again, with a brand new Foreshore Festival promising bigger crowds, bigger acts and an even bigger atmosphere.
Fresh off the success of Middies Festival earlier this year, organisers are gearing up to deliver another crowd-pleasing event, giving local music lovers something to look forward to as the year winds down.
The Foreshore Festival will take over Anzac Peace Park in late November, transforming the waterfront into a lively hub of live music and entertainment.
Open to those aged 16 and over, targeting a slightly older demographic, the event is expected to draw a strong crowd with capacity for up to 3000 people to attend.
Festival goers can expect a mix of big Australian headliners and crowd-favourite bands all set to deliver a high-energy night by the water.
Event co-ordinator Santino Pietropaolo said the overwhelming response to Middies Festival highlighted the demand for large-scale live music events in Albany, prompting the move to a bigger venue and an expanded line-up.
“Coming off Middies we saw how successful it was and the demand is obviously there,” he said.
“We are taking it to a different site and bringing some bigger bands down — acts are coming Australia-wide from Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and we are keeping it WA-driven as well.
“We are trying to keep the music scene down here thriving throughout the next few years.”
Mr Pietropaolo said the Anzac Peace Park was the ideal location for the festival, allowing for a larger crowd while remaining central and easy to access.
“This will be a similar layout to New Year’s Eve with the concept of a stage and we still want to bring family down, set up a picnic, view some great entertainment whilst also having a drink and having food vans and markets,” he said.
“This is the perfect space in Albany to do it because it’s very central to the town and bringing a big show down here would be a big asset to Albany.
“We’ve got the land and space down here to bring the people down so this show will probably be bigger and better than what anyone’s seen down here.”
Event co-organiser Sanjay Sanapala said the concert will target slightly older demographics and is set to have some popular headliners at the event.
“We want to do something more for 25 and 30-plus year groups, but we’re also bringing in support acts for 18 to 25-year-olds,” he said.
“We are also bringing bigger headliners with bands that were popular back in the 2000s.
“Its going to be a big surplus and Anzac Peace Park is a great location so it’s already going to be an even greater event.”
CBD architect Rob Forgione said Albany had been lacking events aimed at younger people, making the upcoming festival one to mark on the calendar.
“Albany’s been lacking these types of event for a while now and the younger generation are staying in Albany with the university and TAFE so this is really complementing and rewarding these younger generations to enjoy what the city people enjoy,” he said.
“We’re going to do these events twice a year so they’ll look forward to it and they’ll tell their friends about it.
“This is very much community-driven so its encouraging families with kids to come out and have a good time.”