With the ten-year anniversary celebrations for the Birdsville Big Red Bash set to rock Outback Queensland this July, organizers have today announced a new fundraising Big Blue Day world record attempt for diabetes research in partnership with JDRF.
The new Big Blue Day will open the Big Red Bash on Tuesday July 4, encouraging festival goers to dress in blue and purchase a $15 fundraising blue wig for the JDRF, with a special world record attempt being undertaken to break “the largest human image of a country” record, currently held by Romania with 4,807 participants.
The aim of the world-record attempt is to bring together 5,000 Big Red Bash festival goers to form a blue map of Australia inside an area that will be mapped out via GPS. The world record attempt will be adjudicated by The Australian Book of Records, who also oversee the events’ Nutbush world record.
Already renowned as one of the ‘most Aussie’ music festivals in the country for its unique outback location and activities that include an all-Aussie music line-up, staging the world record breaking attempt by creating a huge human map of Australia made up of people who have travelled from every corner of the country, will take national pride to another level.
“With John Williamson’s True Blue ringing out as we set about creating a new world record will just add to the mood and fun of the activity. We’re hoping to raise more than $70,000 for JDRF.
In 2013 we staged the Big Red Run event in the Simpson Desert Outside of Birdsville to fundraise for JDRF as our son Steve had been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D) in 2008. To celebrate the runners completing their 250km, six-day marathon we invited John Williamson to do a low-key performance with little more than a packing crate stage, a generator we borrowed from the Birdsville Airport and a speaker on the side of the 40-metre-high Big Red Sand dune. Word got out and with no promotion we had hundreds of people come from miles around travel to watch John perform – and the idea for staging a remote music festival in the desert was sparked. I guess not surprisingly we’ve found that more people would rather travel to Big Red to watch legendary Australian performers sing than run through the desert and so the Birdsville Big Red Bash has evolved to an iconic event that attracts a sold out crowd and some of the biggest names in Oz rock, blues and country on an annual pilgrimage to the Simpson desert just outside of Birdsville,” said Festival owner and Managing Director of the Outback Music Festival Group Greg Donovan.
John Williamson will head back to where it all began for his 4th performance at the Birdville Big Red Bash, celebrating 10 years of an event that has etched a spot in his heart.
“It all began on top of the Big Red dune with my solo performance back in July 2013. At that time, none of us dreamt it would become the Big Red Bash, attracting over 10,000 people each July, with a line-up of 20+ Australian artists and taking its place as one of the most iconic music festivals staged in Australia.
This year, in addition to performing at the 10-year anniversary event, I’m thrilled to be performing one of my most loved songs ‘True Blue’ as the backing anthem for the Big Blue Day world record attempt, fundraising for Type 1 diabetes.
It’ll be an amazing sight to have thousands of people from all corners of Australia gathered together on the red sand, dressed in blue in the shape of Australia. I’m really looking forward to being part of it,” said John Williamson.
“There are currently more than 130,000 of us living with type 1 diabetes in Australia, and National Diabetes Awareness Week kicks off on July 10, so we’re hoping our JDRF Big Blue Day will raise much -diabetes research funds and help create awareness. My T1D diagnosis in 2008 at just 14 was life changing for me and my family – and to this day there’s rarely a day goes by that I’m not impacted in some way. I’m grateful that so many of our audience are not only generous in their charity support – but are also prepared to dress up and have fun in all our event activities – whether it’s Bashville drags or doggy dress up,” said Steve Donovan, Operations Manager, Outback Music Festival Group.
“JDRF is the leading type 1 diabetes research, advocacy, and community support organisation. We work every day to find cures and improve lives for the many in Australia already living with type 1 diabetes like Steve, and the 8 more diagnosed each day – but we cannot realise our vision alone.
“We are so grateful to Outback Music Festival Group and all of the Big Red Bash patrons who will be sharing their support for JDRF at this year’s Big Blue Day, and the historical support since the Big Red Run many years ago. This recognition of our organisation and the fundraising efforts for JDRF are outstanding and will mean we can keep moving towards our vision of a world without type 1 diabetes,” said JDRF CEO, Mike Wilson OAM.
“We stopped staging the Big Red Run in 2019 when interest in the music festival far outstripped interest in the run – and always intended building in another fundraising element with JDRF. To date we’ve fundraised more than a million dollars for type 1 diabetes – a cause that’s so close to our hearts with Steve living with T1D on a daily basis. However Covid and the resulting delays and event restrictions hit out of nowhere and the plans to work with JDRF again unfortunately had to be shelved – so now we’re out the other side of that it feels great to be getting back to our roots and building this new JDRF fundraising element into the event in our 10th year,” added Greg Donovan.
Now a multi-day music festival, the Birdsville Big Red Bash is recognized as the world’s most remote music festival – and will draw close to 11,000 intrepid travellers in 2023. Festivalgoers will collectively travel nearly 50 million kilometres from every corner of Australia to camp out under the stars and experience some of the country’s most iconic Australian rock from 4-6 July, 2023 with the Ten-Year Anniversary celebrations marking the largest incarnation of the event since it was founded.
The Big Blue Day map of Australia world-record breaking attempt will be held on Tuesday July 4th. After Big Red Bash patrons have purchased their blue wig, they will come together in the main concert area where they will be marshalled into the shape of Australia.
Festival goers will have the chance to establish a second world record on Thursday July 6th, when a Nutbush World Record attempt will be staged to break the record of 4,084 Nutbush line-dancers that was set at the 2022 Birdsville Big Red Bash.
“It’s the 50th year anniversary of the Nutbush and our 10th anniversary – so we’re expecting to smash the record we set last year on that one, as well as hoping to take out this new Big Blue Day map of Australia world record,” said Greg Donovan.
The Birdsville Big Red Bash event will feature a stacked line-up of huge names in Australian rock, pop, roots and country music including ICEHOUSE, Hoodoo Gurus, Human Nature, Pete Murray, The Angels, The Waifs, Kate Ceberano, Troy Cassar-Daley, Ross Wilson, Dragon, Chocolate Starfish, Shane Howard, Jack Jones, Pierce Brothers, Wendy Matthews, Grace Knight, Chantoozies, Melanie Dyer, Caitlyn Shadbolt and Furnace and the Fundamentals.
The Birdsville Big Red Bash is supported by the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland and features on the It’s Live! in Queensland events calendar. The Birdsville Big Red Bash generates more than $20 million in economic benefit for Outback Queensland.
The Birdsville Big Red Bash is an all-ages (children U11 attend free), dog-friendly camping event that runs across three days and offers up a uniquely Australian destination adventure for families, grey nomads, camping and caravanning enthusiasts and intrepid travellers alike.
In addition to the music line-up, the Birdsville Big Red Bash will feature a jam-packed program of unique outback entertainment and activities – from world record attempts for the ‘Nutbush’ dance through to comedy and outdoor film screenings, scenic helicopter flights, camel rides, charity fun run The Bashville Drag Race, drag and dog dress up competitions and much more.
The Big Red Bash ‘Bashville’ event location is set at the foot of the spectacular Big Red sand dune and has predominantly tared roads leading right to the event entrance as well as charter flights and bus tours available.
The Birdsville Big Red Bash is BYO alcohol for the campsite and concert areas – and ticket holders are permitted to bring their own food. A large range of food vendors selling both hot and cold food and non-alcoholic beverages.
In addition to fundraising for the JDRF this year, the Big Red Bash will continue fundraising for the Royal Flying Doctors – with a total of more than $435,000 raised to date for the RFDS.
What: 2023 Birdsville Big Red Bash
Where: Big Red sand dune, 35 km West of Birdsville
When: July 4-6, 2023
More info: www.bigredbash.com.au (SOLD OUT)
Full Line-Up: ICEHOUSE, John Williamson, Hoodoo Gurus, Human Nature, Pete Murray, The Angels, The Waifs, Kate Ceberano, Troy Cassar-Daley, Ross Wilson, Dragon, Chocolate Starfish, Shane Howard, Pierce Brothers, Wendy Matthews, Grace Knight, Jack Jones, Melanie Dyer, Caitlyn Shadbolt, Furnace and the Fundamentals, The Chantoozies and The Big Red Bash Band.
