Homebake
Homebake was an annual Australian rock festival, featuring an all-Australian lineup (with the occasional artist from New Zealand). The festival was first held on 3 January 1996 at Belongil Fields in Byron Bay, on the far north coast of New South Wales. The same year saw a second event held at the grounds of the University of Sydney.
The festival returned in January 1998 as an East Coast event happening in Melbourne, the Gold Coast and Sydney. In December of the same year, it was held again in Sydney this time at the Domain. In late 1999 the event went on the road again, but this time to only the Gold Coast and Sydney. In 2000 the festival reverted to just Sydney, and since then has been held at the Domain every December.
Tickets for the festival regularly sell out in advance, the fastest sell out was the 2006 event which sold out on the first day of sale, but this was then dwarfed with the 2008 show selling all 20,000 tickets in less than 10 minutes.
The 2007 Homebake took place on Saturday 8 December, once again at The Domain. It was announced that the event would be 18+ for the first time in its history. Despite some protests, Homebake organisers explained on Triple J's Hack' program that each year the all ages liquor licence was becoming harder to obtain, and compared to their research showing that attendance for the event by underagers was between 5 and 8% influenced the decision to go 18+.
The last Homebake was held in 2012, and the following year's event was unexpectedly cancelled. The festival has not been held since, and as of now, it is unlikely to be resurrected.[1][2]
Artists lineups by year
1996
Byron Bay
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University of Sydney
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1998
January - Sydney, Gold Coast, Melbourne
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December - Sydney
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1999
Sydney and Gold Coast
Gold Coast only | Sydney only | ||
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2000
Main Stage | Big Top | Juice Stage | Hopetoun Stage |
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2001
Main Stage | Big Top | Juice Stage | Hopetoun Stage |
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2002
Main Stage | Big Top | The Dome | Hopetoun Stage | Acoustic Pavilion |
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2003
Main Stage | Big Top | The Dome | Hopetoun Stage |
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2004
Main Stage | Big Top | The Dome | Hopetoun Stage |
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2005
Main Stage | Big Top | The Dome | Hopetoun Stage |
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2006
Main Stage | Big Top | The Dome | Hopetoun Stage |
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2007
Main Stage | Big Top | The Dome | Hopetoun Stage |
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2008
Main Stage | Big Top | The Dome | Hopetoun Stage |
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2009
Main Stage | Big Top | The Dome | Hopetoun Stage |
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Rowland S. Howard was advertised to play but was forced to cancel citing health concerns. Dappled Cities played in his allotted timeslot.
2010
On 25 August 2010, the organisers of Homebake announced the festival would not take place in 2010, and would instead return in 2011. The organisers cited "not being able to have the 'planets align' to a standard we feel appropriate" as a reason for cancelling the festival in 2010.[3]
2011
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2012
Event organisers announced that the 2012 Homebake would be a "Global" edition. While the line-up for the event, scheduled for 8 December 2012, is predominantly Australasian, American band Blondie has been selected as the headlining act. Kimbra, Something For Kate, Hilltop Hoods, Sonic Animation, and Birds of Tokyo are some of the other performing artists.[4]
After 2012
The event was cancelled in 2013.[1] Organizers acknowledged that there was a hiatus for 2014. It is unlikely the festival will ever return.
References
- Lewis, Maria (24 October 2013). "Future looks bleak for Australian music festivals after Homebake cancelled hot on the heels of Harvest and Pyramid festivals". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
- Vincent, Peter (23 October 2013). "Festival bubble bursts as Homebake cancelled". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
- "Homebake takes a year off in 2010". [inthemix]. 25 August 2010. Archived from the original on 28 August 2010. Retrieved 26 August 2010.
- "2012 Homebake line up goes 'global'". triple j. ABC. 31 July 2012. Retrieved 7 September 2012.