A Day on the Green is celebrating its 500th show with Crowded House, Angus & Julia Stone, The Waifs, and 500 free tickets.
21 years, 1,960 artists’ performances, 63,000 tees, 172,000 stubby holders, and more than 4 million punters later, the concert series that changed outdoor events forever is set to bring on its 500th show.
To give you an idea of the history of a day on the green, when this gem of an event started Huey Lewis and Gwyneth Paltrow were at number one on the charts, Steve Jobs had just started iTunes, and the iPod was about to launch.
A few things have changed over the past two decades, but a day on the green remains Australia’s foremost outdoor winery concert event and has become a blueprint for how Australians experience music outdoors with the best curated musical line-ups, and stunning venues paired with quality food and wine.
This year, Kiwi rockers Crowded house is lined up to celebrate the festival’s 500th show at Mt Duneed Estate, Geelong on 19 November.
“It’s a remarkable milestone that a day on the green has reached. Congratulations – that’s a legacy to be proud of. We were there at 220 and now it’s our good fortune to be able to mark their special occasion, the big 500!!! We will be fully energised and singing our hearts out, under the stars with all the good folk on the Green.” Neil Finn
Founded out of their garage in Elwood, Michael and Anthea Newton called it a “Big Day Out for grown-ups”. The concept was simple – and remains the same 21 years later: good food, fine wine and great music in magnificent locations. Michael’s personal highlights are too many too mention, but shares his top five highlights.
*Watching Elvis Costello chat for an hour with winemaker Peter Lehmann about wine, art and music.
*Sitting by myself at the front of the stage before the gates opened, with Paul Simon onstage sound-checking Mrs. Robinson.”
*Doing seven shows with the late-great Leonard Cohen. All you could hear was the click of the walkie-talkie on the security guard; the crowd was just dead silent.
*I grew up loving the Pretenders, so chatting backstage with Chrissie Hynde was a personal highlight.
*Promoting so many great young Australian artists. We booked a teenager and she was so great, she sold every EP she had after the gig. And Missy Higgins has gone on to sell a few more records.
Since 2001, a day on the green has given regional communities around Australia a much-needed economic boost, injecting millions of dollars into local economies, and has played host to International acts Fleetwood Mac, Robbie Williams, Elton John, Blondie, Florence + the Machine, Neil Young, Paul Simon, Sting, Leonard Cohen, Red Hot Chili Peppers, andRod Stewart, alongside iconic local legends including Archie Roach, Cold Chisel, Crowded House, INXS, Jimmy Barnes, John Farnham, Tina Arena, Kylie, Midnight Oil, Paul Kelly and Vika & Linda, as well as always promoting up-and-coming new talent, including the first outdoor shows by a young Missy Higgins.
And who’s played the most a day on the green shows over the past 21 years? It’s Australia’s working-class man himself, the heart and soul of Australian rock & roll, JIMMY BARNES.
“I don’t know what’s more amazing, that a day on the green is about to do their 500th show, or that between my solo and Chisel gigs I’ve played the event 44 times over the last 21 years! Congratulations to all the team at a day on the green on reaching this huge milestone.”Jimmy Barnes
Thanks to the long-term support of major partner AAMI, to mark this milestone a day on the green and AAMI are giving away 500 tickets to music fans around the country to experience a day of live music at upcoming shows in Geelong, Barossa Valley, Hunter Valley, Mount Cotton, Bowral and the Swan Valley.
Enter here today from 9.00am AEDT until 11.59pm AEDT Saturday 29 October. T&Cs apply*.
“AAMI is all about supporting our customers and communities, and a day on the green events have long been a favourite amongst the community. We are very proud of our decade-long partnership with this iconic Australian concert series, and to be continuing to support the music industry in a very real and impactful way. Music has a very special way of bringing people together, and like so many Aussies, we’re thrilled to see live music back stronger than ever as we celebrate this incredible milestone with a day on the green and the community through AAMI’s 500-ticket giveaway!”
Mim Haysom, Executive General Manager – Suncorp Group
And to celebrate the 500th show, a selection of limited-edition souvenir wines will be on sale from Mt Duneed Estate to commemorate the event.
“We’re very excited that we’re getting to celebrate our 500th show with Crowded House, a band that means so much to Australians,” Michael Newton says. “And what a great line-up – Crowded House, Angus & Julia Stone and The Waifs. We can’t wait!”
