Oh what a Hats Off!

Tamworth’s mid-year country music festival will get a big boost this year following the announcement that Toyota is to be the name sponsor of the event.

Toyota Hats Off to Country will run in Tamworth featuring more than 60 individual country stars in dozens of events and activities over four big days and nights from Thursday to Sunday, July 5 to 8.

“Toyota's sponsorship with very short notice is further evidence of their continued support for the country music industry and in particular anything to assist emerging talent,” according to Barry Harley, Chairman of the Tamworth Country Music Stakeholders Group which is now taking a leading role in the co-ordination and promotion of the Hats Off festival.

“Although we accept that Hats Off will never rival the January festival, with the commitment of the Stakeholders group and the likelihood of continued sponsorship from Toyota, the future of the mid-year event now seems assured,” he said.

“Because of Toyota's association, the group can now approach all stakeholders and media groups to assist in the marketing of the event.  Our involvement may be a little late but we are confident we can lift the profile and the result for all concerned at Toyota Hats Off to Country 2012.”

Artists confirmed for the festival at this stage include Greg Bain, The Blowflies, Bowen & Clair, Brothers3, Col Finley, Mal & Janet Gallagher, Lynette Guest, Kevin Harris, Ged & Trudy Hintz, LeAnne King, Dianne Lindsay, Bruce McCumstie, Peter McWhirter, Luke O’Shea, Paully & Chris from Simply Bushed, Lorraine Pfitzner, Alby Pool & No City Limits, Peter Simpson, Harley Smith, Col Taylor, Those Gals, Viper Creek Band, Rodney Walker and Wendy Wood.

These names and more will play at local pub and clubs and at special shows as diverse as a country music themed Christmas In July at Nundle’s Dag Station on the Sunday of the festival.

Well known venues like West Leagues and Wests Diggers clubs, The Pub, Southgate Inn, the Longyard Hotel, Good Companions and Locomotive hotels have already announced their festival programs and more will be announced as other venues come on board.

More than 40 new rising stars of country music will also feature as junior and senior graduates of the 2012 Academy of Country Music courses run in the two weeks leading up to Hats Off by the Country Music Association of Australia.

The junior graduation concert is set for the Thursday night while the senior graduation concert will be a main attraction of Toyota Hats Off on the Saturday night.

And this year, the local Capital Country Music Association is re-instituting its Winter Junior Talent Quest that will bring dozen more hopefuls to the Country Music Capital.

The talent quest will run on the Friday of the festival, extending into the Saturday subject to numbers with a winners concert set for the Saturday afternoon.

Major year-round country music attractions will operate as usual, some with extended hours for Toyota Hats Off to Country.

These include the Australian Country Music Hall of Fame in Brisbane Street, the Big Golden Guitar Tourist Complex on the Sydney Road and the Walk A Country Mile interpretive centre at the Tamworth Visitor Information Centre in Peel Street.

The Hall of Fame continually updates its exhibits and is also expected to have a couple of extra activities for Toyota Hats Off.

And the Big Golden Guitar has expanded its display attractions into new areas that many visitors to Tamworth may not have seen before.

Toyota Hats Off to Country now has its own website… http://www.hatsofftocountry.com  that has the latest news and information about the mid-year festival including the festival program which is being updated on a daily basis.


Further media information from Barry Harley on 0418 658 673 or Bob Kirchner on 0419 998 396