New Bellarine festival enjoys successful debut

QUEENSCLIFF’S newest music festival arrived to great fanfare at the town’s waterfront on the weekend.

By the Pier festival made its debut at the Queenscliff Foreshore Reserve this year, to complement the long-running Queenscliff Music Festival to provide a pair of packed arts and entertainment events to bookend the Bellarine summer.

Perfect weather and top-notch performances from the festival’s stacked card of contemporary music acts thrilled revellers for the duration of the three-day festival.

“Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for what was an amazing festival,” organisers said.

“It was so wonderful to see lots of happy people, back in our beautiful town, enjoying so much amazing live music, especially after the last couple of years we’ve all had.”

Folk quintet Boy & Bear had received a last-minute call-up to end the Friday night show and delivered, after Western Australian band San Cisco was forced to cancel its show due to a COVID case in its touring party.

But the stand-in band soothed any disappointment from fans to charge through the event’s only hiccup in an otherwise smooth weekend.

Action continued on Saturday with acts including Hassall, Southern River Band, Julia Stone, Briggs, Harvey Sutherland and Client Liaison all taking the stage.

Vera Blue provided Sunday’s finale to three-day festival, with support from the likes of Didirri, Thandi Pheonix and Jarryd James.