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Riverboats line-up announced

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Crowds flocked: For Baker Boy at the 2022 edition of Riverboats Music Festival. Photo by steve Huntley.

Riverboats Music Festival organisers have outdone themselves again with the announcement of an impressive list of talented performers set to take the stage in February, 2023.

Straight out of Finley, long-time punk rock band Spiderbait is one of many marquee acts set to entertain crowds with their popular anthems.

Marlon Williams, C.W. Stoneking & His Primitive Horn Orchestra, The Rolling Stones Revue featuring Adalita, Phil Jamieson & Tex Perkins, The Whitlams, Felix Riebl from the Cat Empire and Alice Skye will also perform at the highly anticipated festival.

RocKwiz’s Brian Nankervis will be returning as the festival MC.

Festival director David Frazer said the line-up was very much a celebration of Australian and New Zealand music.

He said that when it came to finding talent for the festival, it was not difficult to book quality artists.

“Our industry is absolutely firing at the moment after the pandemic,” Mr Frazer said.

“Performers are just itching to get back out there on stage.”

And with so many artists itching to get back on stage, Riverboats organisers have made the decision to expand next year’s paddlesteamer sideshow from four to six performances.

It will be the first time that the paddlesteamer Pevensey will play host to the paddlesteamer sideshows, after the Pride of the Murray moved up to Queensland earlier this year.

Along with the announcement of the line-up comes the announcement of a new venue location — Echuca’s Victoria Park has been named as the temporary location for 2023.

Mr Frazer said they were searching for a venue that could accommodate a crowd of 6000-strong ticket holders.

When selecting a venue, he said proximity to the town centre was of paramount importance because the festival usually brought in about $2.5 million to Echuca Moama every year.

“The fact that the new location is still in walking distance to the town ensures that there will be a positive impact on the town’s economy,” Mr Frazer said.

“Not only that, but it’s also a beautifully maintained park.”

Mr Frazer said Echuca Cricket Club and Goulburn Murray Cricket were extremely accommodating towards the festival.

“They moved their games for that weekend, which is just amazing,” he said.

Mr Frazer said they had every intention of returning to the Aquatic Reserve in 2024.

Riverboats 2023 will be held from February 17 to 19 at Echuca’s Victoria Park.

To purchase your tickets, visit https://www.riverboatsmusic.com.au/festival