A huge crowd has converged on the pineapple fields of the Sunshine Coast for the revival of a music festival.
About 14,000 people attended the Big Pineapple Festival at Woombye, which drew some of Australia’s best music acts, including Amity Affliction, Peking Duk, Bliss n Eso and Tones and I.
Organiser Mark Pico hailed the event, which returned after a three-year hiatus.
“With the collapse of the live music industry across 2024, we remained calm and optimistic, with new entertainment added to juice-up audience appeal, drawing millions of dollars into the local economy,” he said.
“We included Sunshine Coast-based burlesque dancers to our lineup – an Australian first at a music-oriented festival – which was a great display of girl power and empowerment, with the crowd in rapture throughout their set.”
The return of the festival followed the re-opening of the restored Big Pineapple in June.
Burlesque L’ Amour founder and CEO Jordyn James said the group got a real kick out of the performance.
“With nearly 50 dancers, it took months of rehearsal for our troupe to be ready,” she said.
“We have previously danced in front of 2000 and to perform in front of thousands more people was a great thrill and confidence boost.”
“The Big Pineapple Festival organisers drew on talent across Australia, and we are stoked they chose a small Sunshine Coast dance troupe to perform at a national level.”
Canadian tourist Kim said the event was on her bucket list.
“We wanted an Australian festival experience as part of our travels so we drove from the Gold Coast to groove with the Aussies at the Big Pineapple Fields,” she said.
Mr Pico thanked supporters of the event.
“We are grateful for the financial support of the Sunshine Coast Council and Queensland Government, and the belief of our faithful ‘pineys’ who came from across Australia to back the festival,” he said.
University of the Sunshine Coast students worked alongside the festival management team, gathering first-hand real-world learning experience.
“It’s been great to have the next generation of event managers working alongside us,
injecting fresh juice, ready to power the festival into the future,” Mr Pico said.
“We are always keen on ideas to keep the festival fresh, so please complete the feedback survey if you attended.”
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