Midnight Oil and Paul Kelly added as headliners for rescheduled Bluesfest event

Following the heartbreak of that fateful April cancellation, Bluesfest Byron Bay has officially revealed the lineup for its recently rescheduled 2021 event.

Read the latest tour news here.

The festival, which is now slated to go down from October 1 – 4 at its usual home at Tyagarah Tree Farm, has retained all Australian acts who were originally locked in to appear at the April festival, and now features two very special headliners on the bill.

Leading the pack for the new additions to the lineup is none other than Midnight Oil, who are set to headline the opening night of the festival with their stunning live show for new release The Makarrata Project.

In a note released alongside the lineup, Bluesfest Director Peter Noble OAM said that having Midnight Oil appear at the festival was “a moment I have been waiting years to happen”, stating that “Midnight Oil headlined Bluesfest in 2002, just before their extended hiatus.

“It has always been my ambition to once again present the ‘holy grail of Australian artists’ at Bluesfest and have approached them every year, redoubling my efforts since their reformation in 2017. And now, to have Midnight Oil headline our opening night and launch their new album – it’s a dream come true.”

However, Midnight Oil aren’t the only national treasures signing onto the new lineup – Bluesfest has also managed to net the Gravy Man to appear at the October festival, with Paul Kelly being locked in to co-headline the Saturday night festivities alongside Tash Sultana.

Both acts will be joining the likes of Jimmy Barnes, John Butler, The Cat Empire, Ocean Alley, Hiatus Kaiyote, Kate Miller-Heidke, Kasey Chambers, The Church and more, rounding out a blockbuster bill of Australian artists.

Throughout his statement to the press, Peter Noble addressed the last minute cancellation of Bluesfest’s April event and expressed his confidence at the festival going ahead in October, saying that “We have shown a determination to overcome everything we had to face to re-schedule, knowing that as an integral part of the Australian music industry, so many were counting on us.

“As we rise from the ashes of Bluesfest, Easter 2021, please come join us as we celebrate our indomitable determination to present live music in Australia safely, at a major event level. Let’s make history! We are back – we cannot be kept down – please join us.”

Check out the lineup in full below. Season tickets are on sale from 9am Thursday May 20 via Moshtix, with 3 Day and 1 Day passes and camping and VIP tickets going on sale soon.

BLUESFEST 2021

Friday 1 – Monday 4 October – Tyagarah Tree Farm, Byron Bay NSW