What started as a teenage interest in sound and lighting, for Festival Director, Sam Goldsmith, has blossomed into a grand event called Esoteric Festival – a festival of music and art, which operates over six days. With an attendance of almost 10,000 people, Esoteric Festival has not only become a highlight of the region but also a significant economic boost for the town of Donald and the Shire of Buloke.
The spark of an idea
Sam Goldsmith was born and bred in the Buloke Shire. In high school, he could never have imagined that his fascination with sound and lighting would take him on a journey to leading one of regional Victoria’s biggest music festivals and making a full-time job out of it. Though Sam had been running a sound and lighting hire company out of Donald since 1999, since the age of fifteen, it was still a side-hustle of passion that happened alongside Sam’s ‘normal’ job in agri-business – the staple industry in Buloke Shire.
In 2016, hired to provide sound and lighting equipment to a different music festival as a freelance contractor, and having invested in new equipment for the gig, Sam was devastated when the festival was canned last minute – the company had failed to get the proper permits. But, it’s interesting how a setback can often light the way for something new. Sam realised that he could host a festival on his own family’s substantial farm, getting all the required permits in place from the get-go, giving him more control over the circumstances.
At the time, however, Sam says he was more of a ‘mainstream music type of guy’. A lot of the work his production company did was hiring out and setting up equipment for regional events like 21st birthdays, weddings and bigger shows such as B&S balls – much more mainstream affairs, in general. But, Sam’s perspective changed as he began checking out other regional music festivals as part of his research for starting his own. ‘It wasn’t so much the music but the sound and lighting experience at festivals like Rainbow Serpent, Maitreya and Strawberry Fields that got me excited,’ he says. And, within that world, too, Sam saw greater potential for a more multi-dimensional arts extravaganza; one that embraced electronic music, the visual arts, lifestyle workshops and experiences, and family-friendly activities too.
That idea and one phone call to Lucas Mathieson – Sam’s now business partner and co-founder of the festival – saw Esoteric get off the ground only a year later, hitting the scene in March 2017. Lucas continues as the creative director and visionary of the event, complementing Sam’s business and production expertise.
A Community delight
In recent years Esoteric Festival has reached new heights with 2023’s event selling out to an enthusiastic audience of almost 10,000 visitors. Sam says that at this year’s event they recorded festival goers from every state in Australia and 23 countries across the world. ‘People say they’ve never been to anything like it. There’s the music but then there’s also this incredible art side – one of the biggest outdoor festival art galleries you could visit.’
What sets this festival apart is the remarkable unity and support it has fostered within the town of Donald. Beyond Sam’s own family’s involvement – his 93-year-old grandmother bakes scones for the volunteers, and his mum coordinates the food and market stalls – Esoteric has become an integral part of Donald’s community fabric; a significant economic driver. Local businesses benefit from increased patronage that isn’t the usual ‘community money flowing around in a circle’, says Sam. ‘The op shop alone does a huge bulk of their year’s takings over the days around Esoteric.’
Supporting Local: The Key to Success
When asked about advice for those wishing to start an arts event in the Loddon Mallee region, Sam emphasises the importance of supporting local businesses: ‘From Day One, I’ve said, if we can buy it in Donald, then we buy it in Donald. And if it costs us more, it doesn’t matter.’
That commitment to community is what Sam thinks has really deepened the festival’s roots and created a sustainable economic ecosystem. It’s been vital for growth and long-term success to have both Donald and the greater region behind the event. To this day, Esoteric Festival has never had a single complaint. Sam says he has witnessed another festival try to start up nearby but he believes because they didn’t have that local commitment – the community mindset – it didn’t last.
Another key piece of advice for establishing a successful event is to invest in marketing. One of the biggest challenges for Esoteric, especially as it was getting off the ground, was attracting outside visitors to venture to the region. The festival continues to invest heavily in marketing to reach their target audience and Sam’s emphatic about not skimping on this side of a business.
Doing business regionally
Sam finds Donald a fantastic place for doing business and says it’s full of movers and shakers. He’s part of a committee called ‘Donald 2000 Inc.’ driving investment in Donald through building up tourism-based projects and local events.
The Donald 2000 Inc. team is leading a new wave B&S ball that is bigger and better than ever. The first one recently saw around 1,500 attendees come from every state in Australia, which Sam says is, in part, due to the fact that the Esoteric Marketing Team came on board to help get the word out. Again, another way the Festival sees itself as a part of the community in an ongoing way, not just an annual visitor. And, another way that investing in great marketing truly makes a difference when it comes to delivering a successful event.
What the future holds
Sam hopes Esoteric continues to grow as he can see himself leading the festival for another 20 years. He reiterates that for anyone looking to invest in the creative industries regionally, the way to longevity and success is about taking a local approach – live local, buy local, get involved locally. Esoteric certainly stands as an exemplary example of that philosophy, and of what’s achievable through unity and an ongoing commitment to sustainable growth.
