Sunshine Coast SoundCoolum, Sunshine Coast

Festivals and markets — Eumundi, Noosa, Peregian, Caloundra and the hinterland

The stage acts ask to play.

Small stage PA with an engineer for markets, festivals, community events and council stages. Fast changeovers, weather-ready, battery or generator power, and levels kept inside the permit so the market stays welcome.

A market stage has one job

Keep the acts moving, keep the sound consistent from the ten o'clock busker to the four o'clock band, and keep the neighbours and the council happy. Most market stages fail one of the three — a changeover that eats twenty minutes, a headliner twice as loud as the opener, or a level that gets the event a letter.

We run the stage to the running order. Every act gets a line check and a monitor mix, the compère gets a working mic and a nudge when the gap needs filling, and the level is measured and held. The system is sized to the crowd and tuned to the site, not just switched on.

Acts notice. A stage that always sounds good is one they ask to be booked on, which is the cheapest marketing an organiser has.

Market stage mid-set: duo or small band on a low stage under a marquee, PA on stands either side, market stalls and crowd around. Landscape, daylight. Hero shot.fes-01-market-stage.jpg

Where this fits

Markets

Eumundi, Noosa Farmers, Peregian, Kawana, Caloundra Street Fair. A busker or acoustic stage that runs all morning without fuss, weekly or monthly on a season rate.

Community festivals

Council and community-group events with a stage, a run of acts, a welcome to country and a mayor's speech. One system does all of it.

Food, wine and beer events

Background sets through the afternoon, a chef demo with a headset, and a band as the sun goes down.

Carols, Australia Day, NYE

Big crowds, choirs, a school band, a countdown. Sized for the foreshore, run to a tight order.

Multicultural and cultural festivals

Dance troupes with playback, drummers who need nothing, MCs in three languages, all on one stage in one afternoon.

Sponsor and side stages

A second stage or a sponsor's activation at a bigger event — see activations.

Engineer at a small console beside the stage, running order taped to the desk, act in the background. Landscape.fes-02-stage-engineer.jpg
Changeover: one act carrying off, next act plugging in, engineer resetting a mic stand. Landscape, candid.fes-03-changeover.jpg
Evening festival crowd from behind the desk, stage lit, foreshore or park setting. Landscape, dusk.fes-04-evening-crowd.jpg

A good system holds a noise limit. A bad one fights it all day.

Council conditions on the Coast are real and organisers lose permits over them. Clean, even coverage means the back of the crowd hears without the front being blasted, and the reading at the boundary stays where it should. We ask for the conditions before we quote, measure during the day, and give the organiser a number if anyone asks.

Power is the other thing. Half the Coast's market sites have none. Battery systems cover an acoustic stage all day; bigger stages run from a silenced generator we bring, with the distribution done properly.

Run to the orderLine check every act, ten-to-fifteen-minute changeovers, compère kept informed.
Within the permitConditions read first, levels measured on the day, a number for the organiser.
Power sortedBattery for small stages, silenced generator and distribution for big ones.
Weather-readyCovers, weighted stands, and a call made early rather than a scramble at two.

Three stage sizes

Fixed starting prices, GST included, delivered, set up, engineered and packed down. Season rates for recurring markets.

Busker and acoustic stage

From $690inc GST, up to five hours, no mains needed

  • Two battery speakers on weighted stands
  • Four inputs: vocals, guitar, a second act's gear
  • Wireless mic for the compère
  • Engineer for changeovers and levels
  • Season rate for weekly or monthly markets
Quote a small stage

Market and community stage

From $1,490inc GST, full day

  • Two Meyer speakers and a sub
  • Two foldback wedges, digital console
  • Mic and DI kit for bands and duos
  • Wireless for compère and speeches
  • Engineer on the desk all day
Quote a market stage

Festival stage

From $2,900inc GST, day into evening

  • Full Meyer system with subs and delay fills
  • Four wedges, 32-channel console, stage box
  • Stage lighting and a lit compère position
  • Silenced generator and distribution
  • Engineer plus stage hand for changeovers
Quote a festival stage

Extras: a second stage, a stage manager, two-way radios for the organiser's team, a screen for sponsors or a leaderboard, staging and marquees through partners, and a recording of the day for the acts. Everything is quoted in writing against the running order.

Season rates for markets

A weekly or monthly stage with the same crew and kit each time, at a rate that reflects the regularity. The organiser gets one invoice a month and a stage that acts want to play; we get a standing date. Ask about it if your market runs more than four times a year.

What we need from the organiser

The running order, even a draft; the permit conditions; a site plan with the power and vehicle access marked; and a contact who'll be on site at 6am. We come back with a kit list, a quote and any questions the acts will want answered.

Questions organisers ask

How fast are changeovers between acts?

Ten to fifteen minutes for a band on a shared backline, less for a solo act. We run to the order, line-check every act and keep the compère informed.

Is there power at the site?

Often not. Battery systems cover an acoustic stage all day; larger stages run from a silenced generator we supply.

What about council noise conditions?

We ask for the conditions before we quote, measure on the day, and hold the level. A good system makes that easy.

Can you do a recurring market?

Yes. A season rate covers a weekly or monthly stage with the same crew and kit each time.

Do you provide the stage itself?

We supply sound, lighting and power. Staging, marquees and fencing come through partners on the same quote, or we work with what you have.

Send us the running order

The site, the date, the acts and the permit conditions. A kit list and quote come back within a day or two.