2016 Smoke on the Water Festival

Well-known Actor, Television Presenter and Rail Enthusiast Scott McGregor has been appointed
Patron.

He is leading the charge for the festival which will be held in August 2017 and is excited by the opportunities offered in Coffs Harbour’s stunning harbour area which will host vintage trains, aircraft, boats and automobiles.

“I’m tremendously excited to be a part of this festival,” he said.

“The strategic harbour at Coffs has always been an important port on the North Coast but with the coming of the railway over a century ago, Coffs’ place as a transport hub was secured.

Mr McGregor believes Coffs Harbour will continue to host asuccessful event with the organisers planning to take full advantage of Coffs Harbour’s unique ability to simultaneously host heritage rail, vintage vehicles, vintage machinery, tall ships and vintage aircraft all in close proximity.

“Other towns may have steam festivals, vintage car rallies, wooden boat festivals or air shows but
only Coffs Harbour can do all of this at the same time,” Mr McGregor said.

“NSW is ready for another major steam and heritage festival, the crowd pulling power of combining all of these events together is enormous. What Coffs Harbour can offer is a festival that will be popular to the general public and throughout Australia and the world to the enthusiast market.”

The Coffs Harbour Smoke on the Water is a not-for-profit incorporated group formed to organise and operate the annual festival..

Coffs Harbour Chamber of Commerce has put its support behind the event.

“The committee is on a winning formula, many of us know first-hand how popular these attractions are when they are in Coffs individually. By taking the initiative of combining them all together is a logical extension of existing successful events, the combined effect is
enormous”.

“With Scott’s business expertise and worldwide contacts in heritage travel we have a perfect opportunity to both market the journeys to and from Coffs and Coffs Harbour itself.”