Aireys Inlet Open Mic is on for 2021

IN NEWS that will make the entire Surf Coast shake with excitement, the Aireys Inlet Open Mic Festival has announced its return next year.

The festival, in what will be its 14th year, will run between March 12 and 14. It is a unique event that re-imagines the classic operating systems of a big-scale event and puts community first.

Starting on the Friday night and running through to Sunday afternoon, the festival features 10 stages and over 150 acts throughout the town of Aireys Inlet, with the main hub on the grass next to the Aireys Pub.

The festival is an incredible opportunity for up and coming musicians and established artists to perform in front of a huge crowd, and the best part is there isn’t an exorbitant ticket price – punters pay what they reckon it’s worth.

Festival director Marty Maher said while the festival was excited to give the green light, they were counting on a few more rules about crowd size being relaxed by March.

“It’s quite symbolic to make this announcement given that we were the last major event to run before lockdown, which literally happened the next day after the 2020 festival. It feels like we are getting some normality back in our lives,” he said.

Arguably the most exciting moment of the festival is the special mystery guest who closes the event each year. Past guests have included Dan Sultan, Tash Sultana, Tim Rogers, The Hoodoo Gurus and Vika and Linda Bull.

“We have just booked the special mystery guear and are really excited about who we were able to get.

“It’s such a great tradition to end the festival on a high and I can tell you there will be plenty of singing and dancing happening next year,” Mr Maher said.

Registrations for the event open on January 1, 2021.