Power 50 - #16: Peter Noble OAM

BACKGROUND CHECK

Byron Bay Bluesfest (formerly East Coast International Blues & Roots Festival) has been running since 1990 and co-founder Peter Noble became a partner of the annual festival in 1994. In 2016, Noble was awarded the Medal Of The Order Of Australia (OAM) "for service to live and recorded music, to tourism, and to the community". In 2018, Noble received a Keeping The Blues Alive Award from the Blues Foundation in Memphis. 

THE YEAR THAT WAS

Bluesfest's 2018 line-up saw the likes of Robert Plant & The Sensational Space Shifters, Lionel Richie, Chic and Tash Sultana wowing over 101,000 attendees, with the festival not only ranked #1 Australian festival but also #14 globally on Pollstar's mid-year Top 100 Worldwide Concert Grosses list. In Pollstar's year-end Top 20 Worldwide Festival Grosses list, Bluesfest came in at #8. Bluesfest 2018 also took home the award for Best Cultural, Arts Or Music Event at the Australian Events Awards (ahead of Splendour In The Grass, Adelaide Fringe and Vivid Sydney) and at last year's North Coast Regional Tourism Awards, Byron Bay Bluesfest was inducted into the Hall Of Fame (Major Festivals And Events). Celebrating its 30th year in 2019, Bluesfest's line-up will bring legends such as Iggy Pop, The Saboteurs, David Gray and Mavis Staples to our shores, with Little Steven & The Disciples Of Soul a recent addition. 

2018'S CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT?

"Working hard and restructuring the business to allow myself more time to concentrate on what I love, booking and presenting talent, and successfully bringing the Bluesfest group of companies into a new decade."