The Inland Sea of Sound Festival has come and gone for another year, with members of the community turning out last week to enjoy a host of live music and attractions.
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While numbers were down on last year's event, audiences were treated to a diverse roster of acts, including Vika & Linda, Hot Potato Band, Lachy Doley Group and many others.
Although it was hoped more would attend, Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre manager and festival organiser Stephen Champion said the event was very well received by those who attended.
"Everyone who came had an absolutely fantastic time, and we're really thankful the restrictions on singing and dancing, as well as mask wearing, were lifted for the premier nights of the festival," Mr Champion said.
"Our numbers were down a bit on last year, but we feel that was probably a result of people still hesitant to go out in light of the recent Omicron surge."
Mr Champion said the Festival Club setup in BMEC's City Hall, which was made free to festival goers the week before the festival due to a cancelled act, was a major highlight of the event, as was the interactive Sea of Light installation.
"We had around 600 people drop in to visit the Sea of Light exhibition over the course of the festival, with half of those attending on Saturday and Sunday," he said.
"It was a more diverse festival musically than ever before, from the transgender rock of Marz at The Victoria Bathurst to the Cuban fusion of Caribe in BMEC's theatre; the quality of music was just exceptional."
Mr Champion said the Regional Songwriting Contest was also a well-received addition to the festival, with audiences packing out Keystone last Wednesday to see Dennis Gooley and Lily Morgillo crowned the winners out of 15 exceptional talents.
"Keystone was such an ideal venue for the contest, and we'd like see it host the event again next year," he said.
"The contest has legs, and we feel it has the potential to become a major aspect of the festival in future years."
Mr Champion said the return of the festival next year will depend on what Bathurst Regional Council decide to do with it moving ahead, but ruled out the possibility of the event returning to the top of Mount Panorama any time soon.
"Council took such a financial hit with COVID that, if we are able to do the festival again, it'll follow a similar format to the previous two years," he said.
"We've found over the past couple of years that this new format in town has injected new energy into the festival, so we really want to explore this direction further."
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