Offshore Festival
Encyclopedia
The Offshore Festival was a camp-out rock and alternative music festival held during Easter
at a farm near Torquay, Victoria
, Australia
in the late 1990s, 2000 and 2001. It was run by the same organisers as the Falls Festival
, held at nearby Lorne
on New Year's Eve
. It interlinked with the major Rip Curl Pro
surfing event, held at nearby Bells Beach. The policy reason behind starting the festival was to keep the youth entertained and off the streets of Torquay while the contest was on. Ticketholders had free admission to the Pro, significantly boosting its attendance.
The festival reached its peak in 2000, when it sold a capacity of 20,000 tickets. However, it was plagued by a small group of local residents who campaigned vociferously against the festival. When some of their demands, such as turning the music off at midnight, went unheeded, they began taking legal avenues. This resulted in the festival's inability to obtain a liquor license in 2001, and marked the end of their reign in Torquay. They moved the event to the Royal Melbourne Showgrounds
(home of the Big Day Out
) the following year, but the event was not successful, drawing a crowd of only 10,000.
In 2002, attempts were made to resurrect the festival in Torquay, and after a string of appeals, a liquor license was granted. However, it had taken so long to obtain the licence that the organisers claimed they did not have time to book acts, and plans for any more festivals were cancelled.
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
at a farm near Torquay, Victoria
Torquay, Victoria
Torquay is a township in Victoria, Australia, which faces Bass Strait, 21 km. south of Geelong and is the gateway to the Great Ocean Road. It is bordered on the west by Spring Creek and its coastal features include Point Danger and Zeally Bay...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in the late 1990s, 2000 and 2001. It was run by the same organisers as the Falls Festival
Falls Festival
The Falls Festival is a New Year's Eve music festival, held annually in Lorne, Victoria and Marion Bay, Tasmania Australia since 1993.It lasts four days, from 29 December to 1 January each year. The headline acts play mostly over two evenings, 30 December and 31 December...
, held at nearby Lorne
Lorne, Victoria
Lorne is a seaside town on Louttit Bay in Victoria, Australia. It is situated about the Erskine River and is a popular destination on the Great Ocean Road tourist route...
on New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the...
. It interlinked with the major Rip Curl Pro
Rip Curl Pipeline Masters
The Billabong Pipeline Masters is an event in surfing held annually at Banzai Pipeline in Oahu, Hawaii. It was established in 1970 and attracts the top 45 surfers from the Association of Surfing Professionals as well as 16 surfers who compete in walk on trials. The surfers compete for a share of...
surfing event, held at nearby Bells Beach. The policy reason behind starting the festival was to keep the youth entertained and off the streets of Torquay while the contest was on. Ticketholders had free admission to the Pro, significantly boosting its attendance.
The festival reached its peak in 2000, when it sold a capacity of 20,000 tickets. However, it was plagued by a small group of local residents who campaigned vociferously against the festival. When some of their demands, such as turning the music off at midnight, went unheeded, they began taking legal avenues. This resulted in the festival's inability to obtain a liquor license in 2001, and marked the end of their reign in Torquay. They moved the event to the Royal Melbourne Showgrounds
Royal Melbourne Showgrounds
The Melbourne Showgrounds is located in the inner north-western suburb of Ascot Vale, Victoria, Australia, next door to Flemington Racecourse. Is the home of the annual Royal Melbourne Show, as well as major exhibitions, trade shows, and music concerts....
(home of the Big Day Out
Big Day Out
The Big Day Out is an annual music festival held in several cities in Australia and New Zealand in late January. It started in Sydney in 1992, spread to Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth by 1993, with the Gold Coast and Auckland joining in 1994...
) the following year, but the event was not successful, drawing a crowd of only 10,000.
In 2002, attempts were made to resurrect the festival in Torquay, and after a string of appeals, a liquor license was granted. However, it had taken so long to obtain the licence that the organisers claimed they did not have time to book acts, and plans for any more festivals were cancelled.