The 2nd Great Alpine Pick 2012 - 8/11/2011

Planning is now underway for the 2nd Great Alpine Pick which will be on April 20th-22nd 2012. With Guest Artists to be announced soon. We hope to see you there. In the meantime, if you want to know more when it comes to hand, I suggest you join our email list via the contact us page.

Great Alpine Pick Survey 19/5/2011

Hopefully by the time you see this website you will have experienced the first ever Great Alpine Pick, we do hope that you have enjoyed the convention. If you do have a few spare minutes, please take the time to tell us what you thought about the Great Alpine Pick. Either by emailing info@greatalpinepick.net  or filling out this short 10 question survey or even both.

Yes, we're still going ahead! - 8/4/2011

In the light of the news that the National Bluegrass and Traditional Country Music Convention (the old "Harrietville") People have wondered wether we are still going ahead. The answer is 'yes we are' for this year. So keep your accommodation booked and we look forward to see you in May. Also we're proud to announce that melbourne band Appalachian Heaven will be joining us for the Convention this year, aswell as ticket prices have been announced. To pre-register yourself for tickets to the convention go here!

First Artist Announcement - 18/12/2010

It's our pleasure to announce the first artists joining us for the Great Alpine Pick. Bluegrass Parkway, Coolgrass and from New Zealand-The Pipi Pickers, more information can be found on the 'Feature Artists' page. If you are an artist wishing to perform at the inaugural Great Alpine Pick, please let us know by emailing artist@greatalpinepick.net Applications to perform at the Great Alpine Pick close 31st January 2011.

A Message from the Organisers of the Great Alpine Pick - 15/12/2010

With the continued growth of Australia’s premier Bluegrass and Traditional Country Music
Convention, held in Harrietville for the last 22 years, it has become necessary for this much
loved event to assume an even larger profile and ‘National’ status in a bigger and more suitable
 venue. We know it’s a bit of a wrench to leave what has become the unofficial spiritual home of
 Bluegrass in Australia but anyone who takes the time to consider all the implications will
 appreciate the inevitable changes that the accelerating growth in the music we love forces
on everyone. As members of the wider Bluegrass community we are counting on your full
support for next years event in Beechworth and I know it will most certainly have ours. 22
years of hard work and dedication by a loyal and willing few deserves a level of respect and
trust as they continue to work hard to nurture, grow and develop Bluegrass and Traditional
Country Music for the benefit of us all.

This news does not however spell the end for Bluegrass in Harrietville; on the contrary it creates
 an opportunity for another small festival on our yearly calendar ("The Great Alpine Pick"). A
steering committee has been established with Jim Golding providing the motivation and the
objectives are really quite simple: To provide a chance for people to enjoy Bluegrass and Old
Time in the idyllic surroundings of Harrietville. We are not aiming to be in competition with any
other festival but seek to complement what happens in the broader scene. We’re aiming for
something smaller and more manageable at the opposite time of year to the main festival,
something akin to the way Harrietville was when it first started. We’re hoping that it’s going to
be a more intimate pickers festival with a good mix of jamming and performance opportunities.
We have no real desire for it to get anywhere near as big as the main festival as this would be
self defeating. All that would do is duplicate the conditions that have forced the November event
 into relocation next year.

We are also mindful of the impact on the people of Harrietville if we left altogether so our plan is
 to work with them as much as we reasonably can for our mutual benefit. The current thinking is
 to utilise Harrietville venues like the Pubs, the Hall and the various accommodation and public
venues to keep the costs low, the organisation simple and the commitments of the workers
behind the scenes to a manageable level. We also want to involve the people of Harrietville as
much as possible with the opportunity to generate funds for community groups as a motivation.
 The whole event will be run by a Not For Profit Incorporated Body with any profit generated
by the Festival Organisation given directly back to the community groups within Harrietville. All
financials will be published on our website (www.greatalpinepick.net) so there can be no
misunderstanding or misinformation over what is happening behind the scenes.

At present it’s proposed that the weekend fee for the Great Alpine Pick will be $30 per person
and $25 for pensioners prior to the event. $40 and $35 respectively for those who opt to pay on
 the weekend. There will also be an admission charge for the major concerts and dance for those
 who have not purchased a weekend pass. Registration will be from 6:00pm on the Friday
evening in the Dining Room of the Mountain View Lodge (The old Bon Accord). All this will be
firmed up in the coming weeks and posted on the web site in detail, so please watch for regular
changes here as well.

Anyone interested in volunteering their services for this event, or those with ideas and sensible
 suggestions can e-mail us at info@greatalpinepick.net

We are looking forward to a National standard event in Beechworth
(www.harrietvillebluegrass.com.au) next November and a convivial and enjoyable weekend in
Harrietville (www.greatalpinepick.net) in May. Please get behind both events and help forward
the profile of Bluegrass and Old Time here in Australia.

 The Great Alpine Pick Committee.