Patti Smith
Singer Patti Smith performs at the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen, August 13, 2015. Reuters/Erik Refner/Scanpix Denmark

As the waiting time for Byron Bay’s Bluesfest 2017 draws close, the excitement is beginning to build up. Bluesfest 2017 will happen just outside Byron Bay this long Easter weekend. With only 13 days left for the event, the festival has unveiled its full lineup.

The latest addition in the festival lineup is American hip-hop legend Nas, who will perform at the event with New Orleans brass band The Soul Rebels. Nas has thirteen Grammy nominations and has earned seven platinum records. Nasir Bin Olu Dara Jones, better known by his stage name, will only play with the band at only a few festivals this year, including New Orleans Jazzfest and the 12th Annual Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival.

The Soul Rebels are an eight-piece New Orleans-based brass ensemble that consists of percussionists and founding members Lumar LeBlanc and Derrick Moss, trumpet players Julian Gosin and Marcus Hubbard, trombonists Corey Peyton and Paul Robertson, saxophonist Erion Williams and sousaphonist Edward Lee Jr. The band is a mix of various musical elements like soul, jazz, funk, hip-hop, rock and pop music.

Other artists included in the Bluefest 2017 are country icon Kasey Chambers, Little Georgia and Grammy-winning flutist Wouter Kellerman and Byron's local artist Lucy Gallant. Also joining the event are Busby Marou, Little Georgie, Patti Smith, Buddy Guy, Mary J Blige, Bonnie Raitt and more.

According to The Music, Boomerang Festival will make a comeback at Byron Bay Bluesfest 2017. The festival will see the assembly of indigenous people from various parts of the world including Canada, New Zealand and Tibet. The brainchild of Rhoda Roberts, the festival offers a "safe, family-friendly program of arts and age-old culture and rituals, along with workshops and interactive experiences.”

"Let’s begin the healing together and dance to the new music, listen to the language and witness the ancient and the accessible," Roberts said in a statement. "Now the time is right."Boomerang Festival, in conjunction with Bluesfest, knows it’s time to redefine the great experiences of festivals. Come and dip your toe in.”

Meanwhile, check out the Boomerang festival @ Bluesfest 2017 lineup:

  • Leonard Sumner
  • OKA
  • Yirrmal
  • Airileke & The Rize Of The Morning Star
  • Emily Wurramara
  • Tenzin Choegyal
  • Te Kopere Maori Healers
  • eXcelsior
  • Jannawi Dance Clan
  • Bundjalung artists and weaving

Bluesfest 2017 will kick off Thursday, April 13 to Sunday, April 17. For tickets and complete line-up, check out the official website.