Blenheim Music and Campaing Festival is taking a break – for a most noble reason.
The Board behind the two-day music festival have made the decision to allow the Blenheim Property, in the heart of the Clare Valley, to regenerate.
The statement from organisers reads: "For 363 days of the year, the Blenheim Property is a working farm. BlenheimFest is only able to happen because the sheep so kindly allow us to borrow it for a few days.
For the past nine years, the addition of over 1,500 human bodies and their cars have taken a bit of a toll on the property, affecting the regrowth each year, particularly in the camping paddocks. This continued pressure, along with a very low rainfall through 2018’s winter has had a large impact on the farm.
As a result, the BlenheimFest Board has decided to take a 12-month hiatus and 2019’s event will not be going ahead. This hiatus will provide a much-needed break for the farm and allow it to bounce back to full health.
This was a very hard decision for the board to make, we love organising this amazing party for all of you, while giving back to the community (both locally and abroad) as much as we can. Over the next 12-18 months, the BlenheimFest Board will continue to plan and make improvements to the festival so we can come back in 2020 to deliver our 10th festival."
The not-for-profit event makes donations back to community each year. Their 2018 wrap-up saw organisers pass the accumulated $100,000 mark since inception. This year donations were made to Auburn CFS, two local primary schools to purchase a full mud kitchen, two wooden benches, and a stainless steel hand pump for water into their sandpit. $9,000 was donated to New Hope Cambodia as student sponsorships.
