'Industry in crisis': Tamworth's Austin Tourist Park hosting January concerts to keep Tamworth Country Music Festival feel alive after postponement

Manager Alison Edwards hopes a line-up of concerts beginning on Thursday and running until January 22 will help keep the festival spirit alive in town.

"We've titled it the Austin Tourist Park Country Keeping the Faith tour," she said.

After hearing news of the festival's postponement on Friday, the park pulled together a bunch of artists, some of which were already in town for the 50th anniversary.

Outdoor concerts will run from Thursday to Saturday this week and every day from Tuesday to Saturday next week, with a capacity of 220.

"We're roughly going to have 100 guests in the park and we're opening up 120 tickets to the public. We've been selling them madly this morning," Ms Edwards said.

She said the festival's postponement was "a kick in the guts" for artists, accommodation and community groups.

"At quarter past four on Friday we just decided somebody had to do something," she said.

"Because there are people who have been in this town since December. What are we offering them?

"To cancel it a week out, not only is it a kick in the guts, it has damaged our brand. The number of people in the past 48 hours who have said 'that's it we're never coming to Tamworth for a country music festival again' is crazy."

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January's festival was set to mark the launch of 2022 Golden Guitar nominee Tracy Coster's new album Southerly Change, but after losing her gigs on Friday, and a whirlwind 24 hours, the launch will now take place at Austin Tourist Park on Thursday, January 20.

"The festival's postponement was utterly devastating, it was another blow to the blow after blow that our industry has received for going on our third year now," Coster said.

"I would go so far as to say our industry is in crisis, we need serious help from the government soon. Everybody I know is walking away from music. We seem to have fallen through the cracks.

"I've tried to book three tours in the last three years and it's either been border closures, lockdowns or concerts rescheduled. People have lost so much money during this festival."

Despite this, Coster said she can't wait for the rescheduled April event and she's confident the industry will support it.

"The festival was founded on people that love country music - family, community. We've got that in this town. That's never gone away," she said.

She said the fact that the Austin Tourist Park managers encouraged her to launch the album at their park instead was "proof that community spirit is still alive".

Other artists set to play over the eight days are Sally-Anne Whitten and Alwyn Aurish, The Redneck Gentlemen, Rae Moody, Loren Ryan, Andrew Swift, The Crosby Sisters, Collyn Crowhurst, John Kruslja, Craig Woodward, Matt Scullion, Jamie Lindsay, Guy Kachel, Darren Coggan, Shayne Irwin, Kathryn Jones and Catherin Britt.

For more details or to purchase tickets contact the park.

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