Kempsey’s annual Slim Dusty Festival has been canned for 2019 but it will return in 2020.
Slim Dusty was born in Kempsey on 13 June 1927 and died in 19 September 2003 at age 76 at his home in Sydney. In 2004, Tamworth hosted the Concert for Slim with Paul Kelly, Keith Urban, Lee Kernaghan and Kasey Chambers. Kempsey has hosted the Slim Dusty Festival for the past 15 years.
“As the event is a popular fixture on the national entertainment calendar, we will not be moving away from the ethos of the festival or ignoring its roots – a celebration of the music of one of our quintessential and most loved Australians, Slim Dusty,” said Chairman of the Slim Dusty Centre, Dr. David Kirkpatrick. “It will also maintain the involvement of the legion of artists and musicians who continue to be inspired by Slim’s huge body of work.”
“We will however work towards producing an event that will have a positive impact on attendance leading to a significant increase on tourism and ultimately provide some tangible economic benefits to the Kempsey region and the state of NSW.”
Kempsey Shire Mayor, Cr Liz Campbell, echoed Dr. Kirkpatrick’s comments and welcomed the new branding saying that it “builds on Kempsey’s country music traditions with a fresh vision and focus to grow the festival’s reputation to a broader audience. The new name will help project Kempsey as a country music and tourism destination which will be a huge cultural and economic boost for the town.”
The Slim Dusty Festival will be held from 3 – 6 September 2020.
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