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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Melbourne
    Posts
    1,565

    Cooly Rocks On R&R Festival 2017

    Well, that was another edition of Cooly Rocks On just finished today in Coolangatta. Unfortunate that rain came and interrupted a number of outdoor events today and the usually very popular Sunday markets. But up until Sunday, it was glorious sunshine commencing on Wednesday when Cooly Rocks On program officially started. Yes, there were patches of drizzle on Saturday but all programs and outdoor music gigs continued as normal.

    In some ways, the organisers of Cooly Rocks On hit on a new marketing & programming strategy. The festival was shortened from 2 weeks to just under a week but I always thought a 2 week festival was just too hard to maintain ongoing interest. In the last couple of years especially I have noticed that hardly any interesting outdoor events were staged during day time in the first few days so one would have hardly noticed that there was a R&R festival going on.

    The second big change the organisers have embarked on this year was to make all official events free entry. I think, from talking to many who were there, it was a popular decision and a big winner overall. There was no shortage of live music and dancing from morning on the streets of Coolangatta and at Cooly Sands hotel and it continued on at night in venues like Twin Towns and South Tweed Sports Club etc. There was of course the daily hotrod and classic cars display plus merchandise and various other stores during the day as well as the traditional Cooly parade and night cruise on the main streets of Coolangatta. A new addition which I think was very popular especially amongst families was the fireworks display on Saturday night.

    All in all, it was a big success in my opinion. There was talk that Cooly Rocks On couldn't continue like it was in the last 2 or 3 years and credit to the organising committee for bringing in the changes for this year. I would be very happy to continue supporting Cooly Rocks On going forward.

    In terms of music and bands, there were a lot more local Queensland bands participation and I think this was sensible in a climate of budget restraint. Melbourne was represented by Itchy Fingers, Robyn & the Rancheros and the Speedsters. From Sydney it was the rockabilly band, Voodoo Rhythm Shakers, whilst Adelaide was represented by Lucky Seven and the Coffin Rockers were from Townsville. The Retro Rockets were also there this year but played in a paid gig organised by a local Gold Coast based dance group. For me personally, I missed seeing many bands not being able to attend most days but on Saturday, I really enjoyed the music of Lucky Seven, Pat Capocci, Voodoo Rhythm Shakers and local Brisbane band, the Jive cats.

    Other favourite events amongst many people included the R&R and swing dance competition, various dance classes and the Miss Pinup competition. There was really plenty on for everyone so a week in Coolangatta is a great holiday taking in a R&R festival plus the surf and beautiful beaches and many great restaurants and bars.

    Cooly Rocks On which continued on from when Wintersun stopped staging the R&R festival is one of Australia's iconic events. It's a household name and a "must attend event" in our R&R scene and may it continue to be staged yearly for many more years to come.









    Last edited by Jitterbug; 15-06-2017 at 08:25 PM.

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