Valley Groove 2024: Sweet Orange Productions lauded for efforts to get festival to Geraldton

Local music festival organisers Tyson and Jayme Overstone have been praised for their efforts to get Valley Groove to the Mid West and overcoming this year’s financial challenges. Get Hitched Caravan Hire extended its thanks to the Overstones on Monday for transforming Nukara Farm into a nautical wonderland on July 26-28. More than 440 attendees, volunteers and crew members camped over the two days. The festival featured 20 local and visiting artists, including Feel Estate, whose live band and video DJ performance impressed the crowd with brass grooves and instrumentals. Festival-goers enjoyed their fair share of workshops, such as morning yoga and sound healing meditation by Caroline Forte, and Michelle and Troy Cherry. Beer yoga in the afternoon set the tone for the evening, as people sipped on a beverage while performing the practice. As the sun set, the party kicked off at the tractor stage with a bonfire and a fire ceremony by Temple of Eros. Vikings, pirates, mermaids and other sea creatures danced into the night. Despite sacrificing family time with their two young children and battling a number of logistical constraints, the Overstones managed to deliver an unforgettable experience combining music, dance, nature and splendour. “These guys not only deserve so much recognition for providing Geraldton with another class event but the time, effort and money they put into creating an event of this size and bringing it all together also needs to be recognised,” Get Hitched Caravan Hire said. Tyson Overstone, who operates Sweet Orange Productions, said while the event was as successful as ever, financial pressures had risen. “There were financial overheads this year that seem to be across the board when it comes to any event. It’s definitely getting harder for everyone, especially smaller organisations,” he said. Mr Overstone said funding opportunities were limited in the music and arts industry, particularly in the regions, with tourism and food and wine events mostly supported. “Arts is in a strong, amazing place but it’s in a really fragile place as well,” he said. “We really need to support all our forms of art to encourage growth of the craft. “If we don’t show support then slowly we will lose more and more artists.”