CMC Rocks for the first time in Queensland
Published Thursday, 12 March, 2015 at 07:22 PM
Minister for Education and Minister for Tourism, Major Events, Small Business and the Commonwealth Games
The Honourable Kate Jones
The Southern Hemisphere’s largest international country and roots music festival will rock Willowbank Raceway, just outside of Ipswich for the first time when the CMC (Country Music Channel) Rocks QLD festival begins tomorrow.
Minister for Tourism and Major Events, Kate Jones, said the country music festivities would commence today when the local and international stars of country music arrived for The 5th Annual CMC Music Awards 2015 staged at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre.
“The CMC Rocks QLD festival is one of the biggest events on the Australian country music calendar and we welcome the opportunity to host the awards and festival in Brisbane for the first time this year,” Minister Jones said.
“Major events such as these drive visitation to Queensland, with thousands of country music enthusiasts expected to travel to the Greater Brisbane region this week generating more than 38,000 visitor nights.
“The 2015 CMC Music Awards and CMC Rocks QLD festival will also be broadcast across Australia and overseas presenting another opportunity to profile Queensland as a premier holiday and events destination.”
The CMC Awards and festival will be held in Queensland for the next three years under a new partnership with Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ).
Festival promoter, Rob Potts, said: “With Queensland considered to be the heartland for country music, we are genuinely excited about bringing the festival to the new location at Willowbank Raceway.
“We have a real opportunity to attract more fans from around the country and overseas, as the reputation of the festival grows,” Mr Potts said.
“There is a really exciting lineup of international artists, most of whom are making their Queensland debut, alongside some of our biggest local country artists. The week is set to become country music’s biggest party.”
Foxtel General Manager, Music Channels & Head of Digital, Rebecca Batties, said Foxtel and CMC were thrilled to partner with TEQ to bring the CMC Music Awards to Queensland.
“The awards will kick off an extraordinary showcase of our brilliant local and international music talent. We are proud to be the only viewer voted Country Music Awards and to find our new home in Queensland,” she said.
To buy tickets to CMC Rocks Qld, register online at www.cmcrocks.com
Emma Smith (Minister Jones’ Office) 0417 405 879