Photo: Big Pineapple Music Festival organiser Mark Pico takes out the Queensland Music Awards People’s Choice Festival of the Year 2019.
The Sunshine Coast continues to defy music industry odds with more than half of the Big Pineapple Festival‘s tickets already selling out three months from the October 19 event.
It comes as Coolum’s The Big Weekend festival sold out to a whopping 600 people at Blackflag Brewing on July 13.
Speaking at a Sunshine Coast Event Industry Association (SCEIA) event at Solbar on Tuesday, Big Pineapple Festival organiser Mark Pico says his 16,500 capacity festival is likely to sell out.
Mark says he has “been confident from the start” even after a three-year hiatus, and despite a nation-wide trend of music festivals being cancelled, including Caloundra Music Festival, Groovin’ The Moo and Splendour In The Grass.
Leading the SCIEA research, UniSC Dr Lenny Vance put a positive spin on the Coast’s events and tourism sector saying travel rates are now returning to pre-pandemic figures, before throwing it over to a panel of experts.
Topics centred around the need for businesses to support each other through collaboration and shared resources, and also the importance of making events more appealing to those beyond the original target market.
Councillor Joe Natoli, who asked a question from the floor, says we “need to make events multi-dimensional”, while a Woodford Folk Festival organiser has 700 bins he can loan to anyone wanting a collaborative exchange.
SCEIA panellist Mel O’Bryan from Solbar says a more sober-savvy generation has forced event organisers to rethink their strategies beyond relying solely on alcohol sales.
Mel says “social connection” is now the biggest reason younger punters are going out to see shows.
Heritage-listed tourist attraction is festival drawcard
Mark attributes the iconic 16-metre high, fibreglass pineapple structure and his event’s kitsch flavour as major drawcards to his festival’s success.
And with more than 80 per cent of non-Sunshine Coast residents snatching tickets in previous years, the festival is also a boon to the local tourism economy.
Mark says partnering with Red Bull, Triple J, and Noosa’s M.V. Catalina, for promos and competitions, has also helped the much-needed hype.
Novelty side-show acts such as the “Big Pineapple Toss” with four-time Olympian Steven Bradbury, and fancy dress competitions, are other event highlights.
“I mean how many other festivals have had had a visit from Prince Charles and Princess Diana?,” Mark says.
Mark, who cited Woodford Folk Festival as his biggest influence, says next year will likely see the festival become a two-day event, with the second day of the festival catering to an older demographic.
He is also introducing aluminium water cans as an environmental incentive, and punters can rest assured they won’t pay more than $10 a pop for their drinks.
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