Black Stump Music and Arts Festival
Encyclopedia
The Black Stump Music and Arts Festival (called 'Blackstump' or just 'Stump' for short) is a four day Christian
festival that is held in the Greater Sydney Metropolitan region over the labour day
long weekend
, often the first weekend in October.
Main Stage (called Big Top 1995-2006, 2011-) - the primary venue used for Saturday morning, Sunday night and Monday Morning Bible Studies, Worship & Music. During the nights it is the venue used for headline and international acts.
Fools Theatre (formerly Off Broadway) - interaction and comedy venue.
Sacred Space - Alternative worship
.
The Village - food and service venues and addition performance space.
The Supper Club - small stage for music with cafe style tables and food.
Metro - primary Rock venue
For most of its existence Black Stump has been held at Cataract Scout Park (now called Sydney Scout Park), Appin
NSW, Australia
and before that at Cattai.
and was inspired by Pebblebrook in New Zealand and the Greenbelt Festival
in the UK. It was organised by individuals from Baptist
, Church of Christ
, Uniting and Anglican churches as well as other youth orientated Christian organizations.
The first and second festivals were held in 1985 and 1986 at Cattai (at the former Paradise Gardens site).
From 1988 it was then held at Cataract Scout Park until 2007.
The intended 1995 festival was cancelled due to a significant financial shortfall resulting from the 1994 festival.
The festival was not held in 2000 because the Sydney Olympics ended on the October Long weekend.
The festival was not held in 2010 due to projected ticket sales being too low to meet increasing operating costs at the venue.
in Horsley Park, due to ageing facilities at Cataract Scout Camp. From 2011 Blackstump is returning to a rejuvenated Cataract Scout Camp.
, Rebecca St James, David Butts (Hooley Dooleys
), Tim Harding (Hi-5), Sarah Blasko
, Butterfly Boucher
and Paul Colman
.
, Danger UXB, Light Force
, Guns of Fire, Darlene Zschech
, Quick and the Dead, Tommy Emmanuel
, GROK
, Cameron Semmens, Outback Hippies, Company of Sinners, Tim Costello
, Michael Frost, Compliments of Gus The Amazing Joel Hockey Movement, Antiskeptic
, Steve Bevis, Company of Sinners, Fearscape
, Fuzz Kitto, Dave Tomlinson
, Fraser Tustian, The Idea of North
, Scat, southdown, Planet Of The Stereos Rueben Morgan, Tony Campolo
, Alan Jamieson, Geoff Bullock
, Nikki Kummerow, Stu Larsen, Matt Lucas
, Carpe Idiotus, Michael Connell, Tony Jones, Mike Pilavachi
, John Smith.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
festival that is held in the Greater Sydney Metropolitan region over the labour day
Labour Day
Labour Day or Labor Day is an annual holiday to celebrate the economic and social achievements of workers. Labour Day has its origins in the labour union movement, specifically the eight-hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for...
long weekend
Long weekend
Long weekend is a term used in Western countries to denote a weekend that is at least three days long , due to a holiday falling on either the Friday or Monday....
, often the first weekend in October.
Features
Although the format of the festival has changed slightly from year to year, there are some constant features including:Main Stage (called Big Top 1995-2006, 2011-) - the primary venue used for Saturday morning, Sunday night and Monday Morning Bible Studies, Worship & Music. During the nights it is the venue used for headline and international acts.
Fools Theatre (formerly Off Broadway) - interaction and comedy venue.
Sacred Space - Alternative worship
Alternative worship
Alternative Worship is "what happens when people create worship for themselves," according to Steve Collins. As a phenomenon it began mainly in Europe, Australia and New Zealand in the late 1980s and early 1990s...
.
The Village - food and service venues and addition performance space.
The Supper Club - small stage for music with cafe style tables and food.
Metro - primary Rock venue
History
Black Stump has been held annually since 1985 with the exception of four years: 1987, 1995, 2000 and 2010.For most of its existence Black Stump has been held at Cataract Scout Park (now called Sydney Scout Park), Appin
Appin
Appin is a remote coastal district of the Scottish West Highlands bounded west by Loch Linnhe, south by Loch Creran, east by the districts of Benderloch and Lorne, and north by Loch Leven...
NSW, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and before that at Cattai.
Early History
The first festival was held to coincide with International Youth YearInternational Youth Year
The year 1985 was proclaimed by the United Nations as the International Youth Year, or IYY. It was held to focus attention on issues of concern to and relating to youth. The proclamation was signed on January 1, 1985 by United Nations Secretary General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar.-Events:Throughout the...
and was inspired by Pebblebrook in New Zealand and the Greenbelt Festival
Greenbelt festival
Greenbelt Festival is a festival of arts, faith and justice held annually in England since 1974. Greenbelt has grown from a Christian music festival with an audience of 1,500 young Christians to its current more secular festival attended by around 20,000 - Christians and non-Christians.The festival...
in the UK. It was organised by individuals from Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
, Church of Christ
Church of Christ
Churches of Christ are autonomous Christian congregations associated with one another through common beliefs and practices. They seek to base doctrine and practice on the Bible alone, and seek to be New Testament congregations as originally established by the authority of Christ. Historically,...
, Uniting and Anglican churches as well as other youth orientated Christian organizations.
The first and second festivals were held in 1985 and 1986 at Cattai (at the former Paradise Gardens site).
From 1988 it was then held at Cataract Scout Park until 2007.
Gap Years
The festival was not held in 1987 in order to plan to make it a regular festival, and to plan the relocation to Cataract Scout Park.The intended 1995 festival was cancelled due to a significant financial shortfall resulting from the 1994 festival.
The festival was not held in 2000 because the Sydney Olympics ended on the October Long weekend.
The festival was not held in 2010 due to projected ticket sales being too low to meet increasing operating costs at the venue.
Equestrian Centre years
In 2008, Black Stump moved to the Sydney International Equestrian CentreSydney International Equestrian Centre
The Sydney International Equestrian Centre is the facility which was used to host equestrian events during the 2000 Summer Olympics.The centre is located 45 kilometres from Sydney's business district and the harbour....
in Horsley Park, due to ageing facilities at Cataract Scout Camp. From 2011 Blackstump is returning to a rejuvenated Cataract Scout Camp.
Notable Contributors
Many artists have appeared at Black Stump and then gone onto wide popularity in the Christian or secular world. These include the NewsboysNewsboys
Newsboys are a Christian pop rock band founded in 1985 in Mooloolaba, Australia. They have released 15 studio albums, six of which have been certified gold...
, Rebecca St James, David Butts (Hooley Dooleys
Hooley Dooleys
The Hooley Dooleys are an Australian children's performing act. They originally appeared on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, but have since appeared on commercial television and as a live touring act...
), Tim Harding (Hi-5), Sarah Blasko
Sarah Blasko
Sarah Elizabeth Blaskow , is an Australian singer-songwriter and musician. After fronting Sydney-based band Acquiesce from the mid-1990s, Blasko developed her solo career from 2002. In 2007, she won the 'Best Pop Release' for What the Sea Wants, the Sea Will Have at the ARIA Music Awards, which...
, Butterfly Boucher
Butterfly Boucher
Butterfly Boucher is an Australian singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. She has released two albums, Flutterby and Scary Fragile .-Biography:...
and Paul Colman
Paul Colman
Paul Colman, is a British–Australian pop-rock guitarist, vocalist, pianist, and composer.Colman was born and brought up in London; his father is Australian and his mother is British. When he was seven years old, his father left his successful life of theater and music for a life of ministry...
.
Other Contributors
Steve TaylorSteve Taylor
Roland Stephen Taylor , is an American Christian singer, songwriter, record producer and film director.-Early life:Taylor, the eldest of three children, was born in Brawley, California. Taylor's father, Roland Taylor, was a Baptist minister. When Taylor was six years old, the family relocated to...
, Danger UXB, Light Force
Mortification (band)
Mortification is an Australian Christian extreme metal band which was formed in 1987 as a heavy metal group, Lightforce, by mainstay Steve Rowe on bass guitar and vocals. By 1990, in the Melbourne suburb of Moorabbin, they were renamed as Mortification with the line-up of Rowe, Michael Carlisle on...
, Guns of Fire, Darlene Zschech
Darlene Zschech
Darlene Joyce Zschech is an Australian Pentecostal worship leader and singer-songwriter who primarily writes praise and worship songs. She is the former worship pastor of Hillsong Church and is currently a member of Compassionart, a charity founded by Martin Smith.-Biography:As a young adult...
, Quick and the Dead, Tommy Emmanuel
Tommy Emmanuel
William Thomas "Tommy" Emmanuel AM is an Australian guitarist, best known for his complex fingerpicking style, energetic performances and the use of percussive effects on the guitar. In the May 2008 and 2010 issues of Guitar Player Magazine, he was named as "Best Acoustic Guitarist" in their...
, GROK
Grok
To grok is to intimately and completely share the same reality or line of thinking with another physical or conceptual entity. Author Robert A. Heinlein coined the term in his best-selling 1961 book Stranger in a Strange Land. In Heinlein's view, grokking is the intermingling of intelligence that...
, Cameron Semmens, Outback Hippies, Company of Sinners, Tim Costello
Tim Costello
Timothy Ewen Costello AO is a prominent Baptist minister and current CEO of World Vision Australia.He is an "Australian Living Treasure". He is the brother of former treasurer of Australia and Federal Member for Higgins Peter Costello....
, Michael Frost, Compliments of Gus The Amazing Joel Hockey Movement, Antiskeptic
Antiskeptic
Antiskeptic is a rock band based in Melbourne, Australia.-History:Formed in 1999, the band was originally only a side project for Andrew Kitchen and Sean Daly who were at the time performing in another band 'Dispersia' which later broke up and gave way to Antiskeptic...
, Steve Bevis, Company of Sinners, Fearscape
Fearscape
Fearscape is a black metal/death metal band from Wollongong, Australia who have released two albums and one EP.-Biography:Fearscape are a Progressive black Metal styled band originally from the industrial city of Wollongong, NSW Fearscape is a black metal/death metal band from Wollongong, Australia...
, Fuzz Kitto, Dave Tomlinson
Dave Tomlinson
David H. Tomlinson is a retired professional ice hockey centre. He played 42 games in the NHL for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets and Florida Panthers. After his NHL career, he went on to play 10 years of professional hockey in Europe. He is now a regular contributor and analyst for Team...
, Fraser Tustian, The Idea of North
The Idea of North
The Idea of North are an Australian a cappella vocal ensemble, founded in Canberra in 1993. The group's name is taken from radio broadcasts of pianist Glenn Gould....
, Scat, southdown, Planet Of The Stereos Rueben Morgan, Tony Campolo
Tony Campolo
Dr. Anthony "Tony" Campolo is an American pastor, author, sociologist, and public speaker known for challenging evangelical Christians by illustrating how their faith can offer solutions in a world of complexity. With his liberal political and social attitudes, he has been a major proponent for...
, Alan Jamieson, Geoff Bullock
Geoff Bullock
Geoff Bullock is an Australian Christian singer-songwriter and pianist best known for his song "The Power of Your Love". He began his journey of faith in 1977, when he was in his early twenties....
, Nikki Kummerow, Stu Larsen, Matt Lucas
Matt Lucas (singer)
Matt Lucas is an American Rock & Roll, Soul and Blues singer, drummer, and songwriter. He is best known for his crazy rocked-up 1963 version of the Hank Snow country classic "I'm Movin" On"...
, Carpe Idiotus, Michael Connell, Tony Jones, Mike Pilavachi
Mike Pilavachi
Mike Pilavachi is a British charismatic Christian evangelist and author of Greek Cypriot descent. He is the co-founder and leader of the Soul Survivor charity based in Watford, United Kingdom. He is also the Senior Pastor of the Soul Survivor Watford church, based in North Watford, which he set up...
, John Smith.