The Tamworth Country Music Festival is held in Tamworth, New South Wales, Australia. It is held in the last days of January and spans over ten days. The festival began almost forty years ago and is very popular with the number of audience swelling to more than 50,000. It was also ranked as one of the World’s Coolest Music Festivals”.
Towards the end of January, the town of Tamworth rings with music. Big names in country music as well as new singers; bands and individuals are there to entertain the crowd with their immense talent. Its ten days of shows and concerts. Classic Country, Country Rock, Urban Country, Alternative Country and Country Rock n Roll are some of the different country music categories which fill the air.
The popularity of this event can be judged from the fact that people turn up in large numbers in the sweltering heat to enjoy this annual affair. The accommodation is booked many months prior to the event and many visitors have to do with camps and caravans by the riverside.
Fans start coming a week before the festival and there are some pre festival concerts to entertain them. The main venue of the event is the Tamworth Regional Entertainment and Conference Center but halls, theatres and clubs are also turned into temporary stages. Outdoor stages are also set up in parks; music echoes from every corner of Tamworth.
Tamworth Country Music Festival is the second largest country music festival in the world and is widely covered by television as well. The event has its own Golden Guitar Awards complete with the red carpet events. The awards are in the shape of miniature guitars and are called the Golden Guitar Trophies. These awards are held in high esteem in Australia. Besides jury based winners, there are also People’s Choice Awards.
