The High School Showcase in it's 20th year!

There are many students from local high schools who have gone on to perform at The Bluesfest in their own right. In 2026 Byron Bay High School’s ex students Parkway Drive will headline Bluesfest. But people might not realise some performers first performance at Bluesfest was as part of the Local High School Showcase. In 2022 Stan Walker headlined the Bluesfest, however his first performance was 20 years ago as part of the School Showcase when he was a year Eleven student at Byron Bay High School. Other musicians based in and around Byron or relocated to other parts of Australia have their first festival experience as a school student.

Maple Glider, based in Melbourne, the lead singer, Tori Zietsch is an ex-Kadina High student having her first appearance as part of the Showcase. Others include Zeppelin Hamilton of The Velvet Trip. Zeppelin is an ex-Byron Bay High School student, and The Velvet Trip have performed at Bluesfest in their own right. JESA Music is another example of an ex-Kadina student performing professionally around the Northern NSW, or Dylan Pinkerton, who is now based in Melbourne.

The then Deputy Principal of Byron Bay High School, Ian Davies negotiated with Peter Noble to start the local area showcase in 2007. That year it started with 2 Byron Bay High School students, Year Eleven students Stan Walker and Cody Butler. When Ian moved to Kadina High in 2009, Peter Noble agreed to expand the showcase to include both Byron Bay High and Kadina High. For several years Cape Steiner were also involved. By 2025, in its 19th years, there were 41 students involved across 4 local high schools, Byron Bay, Kadina, Lismore and Richmond River High. We are hoping to expand and include Ballina Coast High in 2026.A number of staff supervise the students during the event.

The experience the students are exposed to is of international quality. From the moment they arrive at the Bluesfest the students are treated as professionals. When they arrive at the Artist Gate, they receive their Artists passes and taken to their green room. There they have non-alcoholic drinks and nibblie sand have an opportunity to relax and tune up. An hour or so later they are mini bussed to the backstage area where they meet the production stage manager. Once the backline is sorted there is time for a quick sound check before the performances begin. Over the years the performances have been everything from solo artists to full 8-piece bands. Each performance is usually 3 or 4 numbers to maximise exposure to the number of students involved. They include both original and cover songs. The crowds are a mixture of family, school friends, strangers and other musicians keen to see what the student shave to offer. And each year the crowds get bigger and more enthusiastic.

Whether the students go on to become professional musicians as some have, or pursue other careers, they are a select group who can say they has an opportunity to an award-winning International Festival, the Bluesfest Byron Bay. This showcase continues to go from strength to strength due to the positive and supportive relationship between Ian Davies and Peter Noble.