MS Fest

MS Fest
Logo of MS Fest 2008
Genre	Rock, Hip hop, Electronic
Dates	February - March
Location(s)	Launceston, Australia (2006 -2011) Hobart, Australia (2012 - cancelled)
Years active	2006 - 2011
Founders	MS Society
Website	Official website

MS Fest was a music festival, held annually in Launceston, Tasmania Australia since 2006 until 2011 when the MS Society unsuccessfully attempted to establish a new event under the brand. Hobart, Tasmania. It was a single day event, held in February or March on a Saturday.

Silverchair playing at MS Fest 2007

The festival started in 2006 with a concert at Launceston's Regatta Ground to mark the 50th anniversary of the MS Society. The event sold out, and quickly became known as one of Tasmania's premier music events.

In 2007 the event operation and funding was taken over by Launceston-based events company Opcon and relocated to Inveresk Showground to accommodate a larger crowd. There was a main stage, featuring mostly rock and hip hop, and a secondary stage, the Ministry of Sound arena, which featured DJ and electronic music throughout the day.

In 2010, the festival returned to Inveresk Showground and sold over 13,000 tickets, the largest number of ticket sales to date.

Over the years of operation Opcon attempted to negotiate an arrangement with the MS Society of Tasmania that would be sustainable and respectful of the huge financial risk the company was undertaking to deliver the event. In 2011 the MS Society of Tasmania announced that instead of negotiating a sustainable position with Opcon they would take the MS Fest brand and operate a new event, relocating to the Hobart TCA Grounds at Hobart for the 2012 show. The MS Society and its new operator commented "The commercial environment in Launceston for the event changed and MS Fest’s future became unsound. This and the opportunity to host the event at such an iconic and pristine venue such as the TCA grounds in Hobart made this the clear and sensible choice for MS Tasmania. We look forward to people making a weekend of it and travelling down for a great show." However, mere days before it was scheduled to begin, the 2012 festival was cancelled due to lack of ticket sales and the overwhelming success of Opcons rebranded festival, Breath of Life continuing in Launceston. The MS Society of Tasmania accrued huge loses with the failed 2012 event effectively losing all the funds which have been delivered to the charity over the successful years of operation by Opcon. As of now nowhere is no immediate future for the MS Fest at this point, but organisers hope to resurrect it in the not-too-distant future.

Line-Ups by Year

MS Fest 2006

The 2006 festival was the first installment of MS Fest, held on Saturday, 11 March 2006 at the Royal Park Regatta Grounds, Launceston. The line-up of artists included:

Grinspoon Shihad Rogue Traders The Herd Cog Bliss n Eso

Behind Crimson Eyes Fast Crew Nubreed True Live DurbeyField Stand Defiant

The Dead Abigails The Embers The Ten Bears Goodwill Poxy Music John Course Ajax

MS Fest 2007

The 2007 event saw Silverchair's first Tasmanian performance in 7 years. The event was staged at Inveresk Showgrounds, Launceston, on Saturday, 10 March 2007. It featured a main stage and a Ministry of Sound arena, which featured DJs and electronic acts throughout the day. The event was emceed by Jabba. Artists who performed at the 2007 event include:

Silverchair Pete Murray Butterfingers Spiderbait The Beautiful Girls Karnivool True Live The Scientists of Modern Music

Trial Kennedy Mammal Bobby Flynn Modus This Future Chaos Cruel Like That Kid Kenobi & MC Shureshock Ajax

Recut Little Cam Gillie Smithmonger Mind Electric The Stafford Brothers & Timmy Trumpet Klaus Hill Goodwill

MS Fest 2008

The 2008 installment took place on Saturday, 16 February 2008. The 2008 event was the biggest so far, with over 11,000 in attendance. The artists who performed are:

Hilltop Hoods Sneaky Sound System Little Birdy Kisschasy Cog The Presets Bliss n Eso Mark Dynamix

Parkway Drive Behind Crimson Eyes Kid Kenobi & MC Shureshock TZU The Getaway Plan Timbre Terrorists The Embers Shock Corridor

Your Damn Neighbours Goodwill Hook N Sling Sam La More Klaus Hill Phil K Dexter

MS Fest 2009

The Living End The Presets Faker Cog Gyroscope Josh Pyke

Dukes of Windsor The Potbelleez The Scientists of Modern Music Carpathian Drapht Funkoars

Paris Wells The Stafford Brothers Kid Kenobi & MC Shureshock Goodwill Hook N Sling The Aston Shuffle

MS Fest 2010

The first installment of the line-up was announced on 15 September 2009.

Parkway Drive Eskimo Joe Outkast Evermore Bliss N Eso Karnivool Kisschasy Black Japan The Sundance Kids

Kate Miller-Heidke Silversun Pickups Sneaky Sound System The Potbelleez Dash & Will Funkoars Regular John Jessica Mauboy

Miami Horror Sam La More Goodwill Hook N Sling The Aston Shuffle Tommy Trash Bass Kleph Short Stack

MS Fest 2011

The Presets Art vs. Science Lisa Mitchell Gotye Bag Raiders The Black Seeds Birds of Tokyo Yolanda Be Cool The Potbelleez Drapht

Gyroscope Ash Grunwald Lowrider Dead Letter Circus British India The Aston Shuffle Urthboy Amy Meredith

Horrorshow The Only Stafford Brothers Minx Jinja Safari Goodwill Tom Piper Anna Lunoe Architecture in Helsinki

MS Fest 2012

Line-up announced via the festival's Facebook page on Friday 18 November 2011. The festival was cancelled in early 2012 due to low ticket sales and poor weather predictions. As of now, there is no immediate future for the MS Fest, but hopefully, it will be resurrected in the near future.

Sparkadia The Naked and Famous Bomb the Bass Muscles Little Red Bluejuice Grafton Primary Amy Meredith Unkle Sounds San Cisco

Matt Corby EVIL EDDIE Nina Las Vegas Sampology Acumen! Kuya Ajax Tijuana Cartel Salmonella Dub Sound System Fat Freddy's Drop

External links

• MS Fest official website
• MS Fest official MySpace