This year’s Rockin’ on East Festival is set to be bigger and better to make amends for the last two events being cancelled due to COVID.
It will be like a scene from yesteryear when rock and roll bands and dancers, dressed in 1950s attire, descend on Narrandera to create a fun, family event scheduled for the October long weekend.
Rockin’ on East committee chairman Allen Law said it had been ‘hard to get back into the swing of things’ after the two-year break.
Mr Law previously stood down from his role to take a break, but he has returned in a bid to help organise a great event for the town.
He is now calling on more sponsors to come on board.
“As we are only a very small hard working committee, trying to run something that could be huge for Narrandera is very hard when you work full-time,” Mr Law said.
“The festival runs on a lot of hard work and fundraising and relies on our loyal sponsors each year and we have not been able to do any of this for the last two years.
“The sponsors that came on board in 2020; their sponsorship will be carried over for this year, but we need more to come on board.
“The festival from day one has always paid for itself, we haven’t been lucky enough to get grants to help make this festival grow.”
Mr Law said the festival’s future was looking bright following a meeting with Narrandera Shire Council’s Mayor Neville Kschenka.
“At our meeting, Mayor Kschenka stated it would be a shame to not see this festival go ahead as it brings a lot of money to Narrandera,” Mr Law said.
“After a long discussion and decision-making process, I agreed to do the festival again, but this year in a different format.
“All I can say at the moment is we have a great line-up of some of the best rock ‘n roll bands around New South Wales and Victoria.”
The Rockin’ on East festival has just been listed in the NSW-Victoria Rock ‘n Roll calendar of events.
“What that means is, on the October long weekend, the Narrandera Rockin’ on East festival is listed and every registered rock ‘n roll club receives this,” Mr Law said.
Despite having only recently started promoting the event, Mr Law has been delighted with the public’s initial response.
“I have only just started advertising on our Facebook and our web page, but the enquiries I’m getting are unbelievable,” he said.
“They have started booking their accommodation now, which is fantastic.
“So this year, Rockin’ on East and the Narrandera Ex-servicemen’s club are working together, as the club has one of the biggest and best dance floors around NSW.
“Every festival in the past we have had only good feedback about how great this dance floor is.”
Mr Law believes the event will be a “a jam-packed, rockin’ good weekend”, especially since he has attracted a popular band that are always in demand.
“The festival will kick off at 12pm on the Friday at the Narrandera Ex-servicemen’s club and go right through until the Sunday night (October 2),” he said.
“Of the bands we have coming, our main one is on Saturday night – Midnight Drifters.
“I have been trying to get these guys for the last five years, but they’re so popular around the rock ‘n roll clubs you just can’t get them.
“I booked them four years ago and they were to play in 2020 but that didn’t happen, so I locked them in for when we have our next festival.”
Mr Law said all the bands which have been booked for the event were “fantastic”, however he described the Midnight Drifters as “a standout – a must see.”
This article appeared in the Narrandera Argus, 10 March 2022.
