Victoria’s Rifflandia Music Festival celebrated its 14th anniversary and according to Nick Blasko, the festival’s CEO, this year’s event was a resounding success.
After years of being held at Royal Athletic Park, the festival relocated to the Matullia Lands at Rock Bay.
Despite the challenges of this move, Blasko was delighted about the new site, which he said had been in the works for over a year. The shift in venue marked a fresh start for the festival, allowing for greater flexibility and creativity.
“It’s been a really cool weekend,” he said. “It was quite something seeing the new site come to life. We've been dreaming about this one for a year now, and we had a lot of plans on paper. It’s nice to see them come to reality. The feedback has been amazing.”
According to Blasko, this year’s festival was one of the most exciting years to date.
“It feels like a good year. Musically, it’s the most exciting year we’ve had in a while,” Blasko said. “Every year we try and get a little more eclectic. We want to go from one genre to the next, one era to the next, and create a lot of moments, not only with artists but with big songs that span generations.”
Among the standout performances, Blasko pointed to the impact of TLC’s set, which surprised many festival-goers.
Another standout performance came from Sophie Ellis-Bextor, whose hit song, featured in the final scene of 2023's Saltburn, captivated the crowd, added Blasko.
“She just blew us away, and that was really special,” he said. “What’s happened to her over the past few years, with Murder on the Dance Floor becoming a hit again, was remarkable. She said it on stage last night - if you had told her she’d be touring the world playing festivals a year ago, she would have said, ‘You’re joking.’ But she delivered in a big way last night.”
Last but not least, Oliver Tree brought his trademark sense of humour to the main stage on Saturday (Sept. 14).
“Seeing Oliver Tree was a really fun experience,” Blasko said. “I loved his tale about being born in Victoria and his grandmother being in the audience. He had a lot of people scratching their heads. I never know where you stand with that guy, and that’s what makes it fun.”
Everyone is welcomed
One of Rifflandia’s long-standing goals has been to create an all-inclusive, family-friendly environment, noted Blasko. This year saw an increase in families attending the festival, something Blasko was proud to see.
“There are more children with their parents than ever, and it’s long been our goal to create an event that families can come to without us having to water down our offering,” Blasko said. “We can still put on incredible artists that are cutting edge and maybe not what some would expect to be family-friendly, but the music and songs just span generations.”
Blasko also pointed out that many artists were impressed by the number of young people in the crowd, something they loved.
“A lot of the artists have been saying it’s amazing to see so many young people in the crowd. Almost every artist has remarked on it,” he said.
As Rifflandia moves forward, the CEO confirmed that the festival has a three-year deal to host the festival at the Matullia Lands at Rock Bay.
With a successful 2024 festival in the books, Blasko and his team are already looking ahead, and ready to prepare for next year’s event.
