The History of The Blues at bridgetown
Local residents Pip Mills, Sheila Howat and a small group of enthusiasts started to develop a festival that would go on to re-establish and empower the arts in the Blackwood region through music.
The group brought a range of musical performances into Bridgetown and progressed in ad hoc fashion until 1993, when Chris Hughs and the WA Tourism Commission offered support for the development of a Blues festival that could be promoted as an attraction to interstate and overseas visitors.
Public reaction to that proposal indicated overwhelming support and a committee was formed to develop an event that would cement Blues at Bridgetown as a leading music festival in WA.
The inaugural Blues at Bridgetown festival in 1993 was organised in six months and attracted about 5000 people, with the audience growing to nearly 12,000 the following year. The event is now so successful that visitors to the area triple the Shire’s population overnight.
The Blues at Bridgetown became an incorporated body on July 19th, 2000, which allowed the committee to embrace change and results in many more creative ideas for each festival.