By JOLENE OGLE
MORE than 40,000 people packed the Weyba Road AFL grounds on Saturday for Noosa’s first major music festival.
The inaugural Originals Music Festival was a sold-out event that saw local and national talent share the stage for the one-day festival, all in the name of fund-raising for the East Coast Originals.
The family-friendly vibe of the Peregian Originals was amplified at the festival with children of all ages dancing alongside teens, adults and grandparents, with no major incidents reported by the police.
The family-friendly festival catered for every age group, with a children’s stage showcasing young performers and ample space to bring along a rug and relax in the sunshine while enjoying the live music.
Event organiser Marcus Plukhahn said he couldn’t be happier with the outcome of the festival.
“It was hard work to put it on and it took two days to clean up, but it’s been worth it,” he said.
“I have received nothing but great feedback from locals and people who came from as far as Cairns to enjoy the good tunes and awesome atmosphere.”
Highlights of the festival included Kingswood’s rendition of Fleetwood Mac’s Go Your Own Way, which got the crowd singing, and Sticky Fingers’ Australia Street created a wave of people jumping with their arms in the air.
Ash Grunwald’s closing set blew everyone away, while no-one was safe from OKA’s signature beats, which saw a surge in energetic dancing.
OKA lead singer Stu Boga Fergie also took the opportunity to rally the crowd against the controversial Yaroomba high-rise development, calling locals to “stand-up” against the development.
Marcus said he would love to plan another festival for 2015 but said he needed the support of the community.
“We would love to do this all again. We can now better fund the free monthly Originals concerts because of everyone’s support for this festival,” he said.
“But we need to let the council know how great this was for us as a community.”
Marcus is urging locals to provide feedback, good or bad, to the council in the form of an email.
