Answered by: Andrew Orvis, Festival Director
What makes your event stand out from other festivals? The simple answer is Queenscliff. We're all about the beautiful coastal town where the festival is held. We're in beautiful parkland right in the middle of town, right beside the beach, and the festival extends throughout town in cafes, bars and halls.
What’s improved for your next event? I'd like to think this is the best kids/family program we've ever had at QMF. We've got Justine Clarke! We're always improving though, tweaking things here and there. It's absolutely the little things that make a huge difference at events. We're also moving to reusable plates/bowls/cutlery/cups.
How is the festival landscape changing? It's always changing from a customer point of view – what's important to them changes constantly. They want more than just some good bands, on a big stage, in a paddock on the side of a hill now. It's those little things again, they're far more important than years gone by.
What do you think will be some of your guaranteed highlights from your upcoming festival? One of the great things about Queenscliff is this answer will absolutely be different for anyone you ask at the festival. Some will say The Cat Empire or Hiatus Kaiyote or Missy Higgins, but some will say new exciting acts like Fools or Stevie Jean or Brekky Boy.
What’s the best way for up-and-coming artists to see their name on your bill? Simple answer: be fucking awesome. Plus things like: be nice people, work with nice people, apply or contact us at the right time, have all your shit together (live show, website, music, video, etc), and don't annoy us about it too much.
How do you go about ensuring your festival is a safe space? One of the most appealing things about QMF is that we're a very family-friendly event, with a broad cross-generation of music lovers that naturally create a safe space. QMF is all about good music, in a beautiful location, with great people. We don't tolerate dickheads either.
Do you think governments have a place in regulating festivals as has happened in NSW recently? Yes, and absolutely not. It's a very complex thing. I think it's important that there aren't just some very general regulations – what might make some sense for a bush doof with a long history of issues does not make sense for a folk festival with none. All events are different with different people, different issues, etc, etc. Thank God we're not Queenscliff in NSW though!
