It was billed as the 'biggest celebration of local music the city has ever seen' and it didn't disappoint.
Newcastle's city centre was alive and rocking on Sunday afternoon when more than local 80 artists played across nine venues as part of the inaugural West Best Bloc Fest.
Inspired by similar festivals such as South by South-West in Austin, Texas, Big Sound in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane and King Street Crawl in Newtown, Sydney, the event aimed to showcase the Lower Hunter's musical talent and also activate the city centre.
"The response has been overwhelming, ticket sales have flown out the door," organiser and Family Hotel proprietor Dylan Oakes, who has been working on the event since December, said.
"The logistics of getting the bands into the venues for different time slots has been a massive challenge but we are really happy with how it has turned out."
Unlike other festivals, the event features 100 per cent Hunter talent.
"The whole production team, the media and sponsors are all from Newcastle," Mr Oakes said.
Perhaps the only downside was the 10pm curfew, which was necessary to comply with licensing requirements.
Mr Oakes said he hoped the response would allow the organising team to mount a case with regulatory authorities to grant an exemption for next year.
"Hopefully we can prove them wrong this year and see how we go (getting an exemption) next year.
The event also showcased West Best Beer, a collaboration between The Family Hotel and Adam Hardy of The Rogue Scholar.
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- 10 acts you need to catch at West Best Bloc Fest
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