ATTRACTING school participation from France and creating behind-the-scenes production opportunities for students are among the grand ideas floated to build on the Generations in Jazz festival phenomenon.
The giant tent, which on Saturday night housed what is believed to be an Australian record of 7700 under a big top, is now being dismantled on Mount Gambier’s outskirts at OB Flat with the 2019 installment hailed a success, recording a 7pc growth spurt in attendance.
Generations in Jazz chief executive officer Belinda Shannon said the nationally acclaimed festival continued to build its reputation, injecting hundreds of thousands of dollars into the Limestone Coast economy.
“Accommodation is our biggest challenge every year but we will continue to work on it,” she said.
“Roughly $600,000 was injected in the South East accommodation economy over the four-day period with students staying in places as far as Portland and Naracoorte.
“It is a clear tourism and economy boost for the region if you look at the 5300 students from 134 Australian and New Zealand schools participating this year alone.”
All accommodation within a 100km radius of the Blue Lake city was fully booked for the festival, with participating schools also staying in halls, sporting clubrooms and private homes across the region.
Ms Shannon said guest artists were shocked at the involved students’ passion for jazz.
“Guest artists, particularly Lizz Wright and Kurt Elling could not believe how involved and passionate the kids were,” she said.
“I think the most rewarding part of the event is watching those little bodies absorb the atmosphere.
“The kids are so pumped to be here and it is great to see.”
Offering a unique platform of entertainment, Ms Shannon said the event thrusts the Limestone Coast into the spotlight.
“We hope to see more of a spotlight generated in upcoming years with the South Australian tourism minister David Ridgway first-hand experiencing the scene himself,” she said.
“It is such a beautiful region and this event encourages people to explore the area as well as enjoy the festival.
“This year we found regional residents felt move involved than previous years, with people previously thinking the event was privately-ran.”
Up to 500 community volunteers contributed to the success of GIJ and the Limestone Coast reinforced its reputation for country hospitality.
Ms Shannon said the main aim of the event was education for students.
“Next year we want to focus on bringing more opportunity for student involvement as this is the event’s prioritised focus,” she said.
“We want a bigger focus in the production as it is not just about those up on stage.
“We will just keep trying to make it bigger and better and expand on our outreach as there are Australian schools which do not even know it exists.”
