Big Day Out

The Big Day Out is an annual one day music festival which tours Australasia. It mainly features contemporary rock music, though there is also the "Boiler Room" which features electronic music and variety of other stages which feature slightly less mainstream acts, including a stage dedicated to hip hop.

History

The festival began in 1992 as a Sydney-only show, and was extended in 1993 to Melbourne, Perth, and Adelaide. In 1994, shows in Auckland, New Zealand, and the Gold Coast were added. In 1997 it was announced that that year's event would be the last. The following year promoters, Vivian Lees and Ken West, organised a predominantly electronic and dance festival, however the event was cancelled, and the Big Day Out returned in 1999.

Related Topics:
1992 - Sydney - 1993 - Melbourne - Perth - Adelaide - 1994 - Auckland - New Zealand - Gold Coast - 1997 - Vivian Lees - Ken West - 1999

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The festival was struck by tragedy in 2001, when teenager Jessica Michalik was crushed to death in a crowd surge during a performance by Limp Bizkit. The coroner's finding criticised the crowd control measures in use at the time, but also criticised lead singer Fred Durst for "alarming and inflammatory" comments when a rescue effort was underway. Subsequent shows in 2002, 2003 and 2004 have featured a "D-barricade" (a different barricade design reducing the risk of a crowd crush).

Related Topics:
2001 - Jessica Michalik - Limp Bizkit - Coroner - Crowd control - Lead singer - Fred Durst - 2002 - 2003 - 2004 - Barricade

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In 2004, due to the popularity of the Sydney event, a historic second event was announced for Sydney - the first and so far only time this has happened in the festival's history. The line-up for both days was same except for the smaller local acts.

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